Overcoming the Odds
by Thunderxtw
Summary: Lei Fang has finally defeated Jann Lee, but how long will her rival choose to cope with such a hefty loss? STORY COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

_**Authors notes: Hi there. For awhile I been wanting to create a Lei Fang fanfic seeing as how she is my favorite character. I hope you all will enjoy this story and give some feedback. If possible, I'll try to update this story as best as I can.**_

**_Discalimer: I don't own Dead or Alive. _**

* * *

The crowd was stunned to see the self proclaimed Immortal Dragon known as Jann Lee finally defeated at the hands of his teenage rival, Lei Fang. Upon being declared the official winner of the Dead or Alive Tournament, the nineteen-year-old College student, being the good sport that she often was, tried to help her downed opponent up to his feet. But he rejected any means of assistance from her, and left the arena in an angry rage. The roaring crowd booed and tossed objects at the beaten fighter as he headed back to the locker room area with his head tucked down low in shame for suffering his first ever loss. To her surprise, Lei Fang felt a bit of sympathy for Jann as she watched him leave with the crowd hissing behind his broad shoulders, labeling him as a pathetic fighter. 

His reputation as the Immortal Dragon was now at an end thanks to her. No longer was he seen as the superior fighter that won every match he competed in. Lei Fang then went on to celebrate with friends and family over her victorious victory. Many female participants from the Tournament attended the celebration to congratulate Lei Fang.

"That was quite a victory," said Hitomi, sitting down on the couch beside her.

"Yes, quite a victory indeed. I knew you'd pull it off," Kasumi added in.

Lei Fang blushed from all the kind words she was given by her friends and rivals. This moment was so special to her she didn't really know what to say.

"Gosh, guys. This is very surprising to me as well. To be honest, I kind of doubted myself at first, but then later on I started to believe in myself that I could beat him."

"Well you did very well and managed to hold your own," stated Hitomi.

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Lei Fang said while blushing.

A few days later, Lei Fang and Hitomi were seated together at their favorite fast food restaurant, sipping away on a couple strawberry milkshakes,while still going on about what happened at the Tournament. Lei Fang was eagerly asked by Hitomi if she would join the next upcoming Dead or Alive Tournament to fight again. The Chinese girl's response was a quiet no. After defeating Jann Lee, she felt there was no need to enter the Tournament again since there was no one she was looking forward to fighting against. In actual fact, Hitomi didn't truly understand her friend's reason for wanting to abandon the next Tournament. This seemed strangely odd, for Lei Fang usually looked forward to such excitement and fun.

"Lei Fang, sometimes I just don't get you," Hitomi said sipping down the last remains of her milkshake.

"I don't think anybody does," Lei Fang timidly giggled.

"Is there anyway of convincing you to enter? I mean, think about it for a second. Without you, I don't know what would become of me. I don't think I'd have that much of a challenge from the others."

"I'll think about it. Just give me some time," Lei Fang strongly advised.

* * *

Jann Lee was sitting in a pot of his own misery with anger and hatred filling his mind. He sat alone, outside in an abandoned neighborhood in the coming of night. Still sulking over his defeat, all he could think about was Lei Fang. He was practically obsessed with her and unable to get her out of his head. Nothing hurt him more than being publicly humiliated the way he was the other day. 

To accept defeat was a hard thing for the young man to learn or do. Winning was the only easy thing to receive willingly. Shortly after his sulking was over, an old man donning a black coat stepped over to his side.

"You shouldn't be sitting here soaking in defeat. You should get back to training and fight again."

"What do you know, old man?" Snorted Jann, rudely.

"I know I can help you regain what you have lost. I can help you defeat Lei Fang in the next Tournament, that is if you're willing to enter."

"Get lost you senile old fool!" Jann groaned.

"I see her victory over you as angered you greatly, that's good. Because what I can offer, you're going to need anger."

"I don't need your help! Just leave me alone."

"Ok, I will. But you think about it. I'll be here tomorrow, same place and same time. It's your choice. I believe you'll do the right thing."

Jann Lee watched as the old man disappeared into the alleyway, fading into the shading darkness. He accepted help from no one to help him defeat his enemies and he figured why should he start now. An hour later he sat up from the curb and decided to go home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes:****_Hey there. It's update time. _**

**_Here's the second chapter, enjoy._**

* * *

Morning steadily approached with Lei Fang stumbling over to the darkened corridor of the hallway into the bathroom still feeling the effects of her recent workout the other day. After she was all washed up, she went downstairs for a healthy and nutritious breakfast that her mother had laid out neatly on the table before going to work. The bacon, eggs and other food items never smelled so good on such a hot spring morning. Before Lei Fang could dig into the plate of food, the kitchen phone rung, catching her attention.

"Who could that be this early in the morning?" she thought wonderingly.

Once she had answered the phone, Kasumi's voice came through. Apparently, she wanted Lei Fang to go swimming with her later on, but she couldn't, for she had studying and homework to deal with after her college classes were over. Lei Fang often had a real busy schedule that involved mostly schoolwork. As much as the young teenager was willing to hang out with friends for the day, she couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Kasumi. I have homework and studying to do."

"How about tomorrow or the next day?" Kasumi nervously asked.

"Thursday I can't, and Friday I'm going to go see a movie with Hitomi. I'll make it up to you though, I promise."

Once the two had said their goodbyes, Lei Fang went back to the kitchen table to eat. Before long, her stomach was full and unable to eat anything else. Quickly, she headed back to her room to get dressed for college. When it came time to leave the house, Lei Fang was shocked to see that her shiny, red automobile had been turned over the moment she stepped outside. The glass windows and headlights were shattered; the rubber tires had been ripped off, and the sides appeared to be badly dented.

"Who…who did this?" Lei Fang said, beginning to weep over the destruction of her precious car.

This was terrible. The only thing she could do was wonder as to who could do such a horrible thing to begin with. Lei Fang felt she was very undeserving of this, and many others would most likely agree. She didn't do anything to anybody that would cause them to totally damage her property. So far, things really weren't looking good.

Now, Lei Fang had to go take the bus, and she hated having to resort to doing such a thing. Buses were often slow, and seemingly took forever to reach their destinations. Not to mention the snobbishly rude people that usually rode them were a pain in the rear to sit next to. But there were no other choices available to choose from. Getting on the next coming bus unhappily, Lei Fang headed to the college campus, still upset over what happened to her car.

At the campus, class had already begun and a usually early Lei Fang was now considered to being late. She came in a few minutes later after the Instructor finished roll call.

"Miss Lei Fang, your late," he said, writing in his notebook.

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again," she apologized. "My car was…"

"Please take your seat," he interrupted.

With a heavy depressed sigh, Lei Fang sat down in her chair feeling a slight bit of embarrassment for being tardy. Experiencing tardiness for the first time was not good. It was so unlike her to miss the beginning of class. As the Instructor told the class to turn their textbooks to page seventy-four, Lei Fang instead stared out the window, gazing at the courtyard. A few feet ahead she could see something standing alone in the distance. It appeared to be a person. Lei Fang squinted, and shockingly noticed he was staring straight at her trough the window, but couldn't make out the person.

"Miss Lei Fang, are you paying attention over there?" the instructor yelled, grabbing her attention.

"Um…yes," she said, while nervously turning forward.

When the instructor went back to teaching the class, Lei Fang turned her head back towards the window and saw that the person outside in the courtyard had vanished. A strange feeling went down the college student's spine as she tended to the class work laid out in front of her. Class lasted roughly three hours before she could go to the next. After her time at the campus was over, Lei Fang was finally free to go home. It had been quite an exhausting day with nothing but study sheets being crammed into her already tired brain. Calling the police and finding out who destroyed her car was the next objective. That was only thing on Lei Fang's mind, while she rode the bus home.

The police asked all the necessary questions when they arrived at her doorstep, but weren't of much assistance. Seeing as how there were no suspects, they felt there was nothing they could do. Lei Fang didn't have any insurance, and that made things even worse for her. It was time to get used to taking the slow turtle paced bus.

* * *

The next day, Lei Fang went out for an evening walk to take some of the gripping stress away. Walking was so relaxing and took her mind off of things that bothered her. There was nothing better than going out for a nice quiet walk. She started to feel much better after awhile. The clicking open toed heels worn around her feet came to a sudden stop when she saw Jann Lee coming from the other direction.

His appearance took her by surprise. Long tattoo markings covered his naked back and his spiky hair had been slightly trimmed. He was almost unrecognizable due to the goatee that happened to be growing around his mouth. Silence fell upon the two as they both halted their movements and took notice of each other. A minute later, Lei Fang decided to be the first to speak.

"Um…hi there, how's it going?" she said, checking up on him.

Jann Lee didn't utter a single word. He just mugged her as he stood frozen stiff like a statue. Seeing her bright and cheery face disgusted him more so than ever.

"Um…ok. I'm going to go now. Nice talking to you," she said in a sarcastic tone.

"How are you doing?" Jann asked coldly, stopping Lei Fang before she could walk past him.

"Not so good," she depressingly sighed.

"Why?"

"Somebody wrecked my car yesterday," she snorted angrily in response.

Jann Lee accidentally let out a soft snicker. He was very pleased to see something had upset her when a lot of times nothing did.

"What's so funny?" said Lei Fang, raising a concerned eyebrow.

"Oh nothing. Forget it," advised Jann. "Are you going to enter the Tournament next year?"

"No, not really."

The tone in Jann's voice suddenly shifted from smoothly gentle to a much deeper and meaner tone.

"Why not!" he growled surprised to see that she wasn't going to enter next years Tournament.

"I just don't feel like it. There's no reason to join. I'm through with Tournaments for now."

"I insist. I think you should reconsider," suggested Jann Lee.

"No, that's ok. Look, I'll be on my way now. Nice talking to you."

Lei Fang took a step forward only to have her path blocked by Jann's right arm as the other grabbed her.

"No, you join!" Jann barked.

"Hey, let go of me!" Lei Fang shouted, pushing the young dragon off of her.

She peered into his eyes and could see a fiery rage burning deep inside them. Never did they have that kind of look before. There was something strange about him. Something different.

"What's gotten into him?" Lei Fang pondered.

Jann Lee was extremely angry over the fact Lei Fang refused to join the Tournament. Her constant refusal drove him to do something he had never done before. Immediately, he grabbed hold of a small child that happened to be walking by.

"You either join or this kid will be hurt!" he ordered.

Lei Fang's eyes widened fearfully, wanting no harm to come to the little boy.

"Jann, put him down, he's just a child!"

Jann Lee squeezed the child's arm with the end of his finger and thumb. Soon, the kid started to whimper.

Every time Lei Fang attempted to step in closer to free the child, Jann increased the pressure even more. Watching the small boy getting tortured like that made her angry. She couldn't stand to see him cry anymore. Jann applied more pressure using his whole entire hand. The boy's soft whimper turned into horrid, crying screams that echoed through the streets.

"That does it!" Lei Fang shouted as she charged forward, attempting to strike the arrogant young male. Jann pushed the college student down the moment she was within breathing distance, and dropped the screaming child onto the cemented sidewalk.

"So you'll join?"

Lei Fang panted uncontrollably. Staring up at her rival with a psychotic expression and nodding, she agreed. This brought an evil twisted smile to Jann's face.

"As the Tournament draws near, so does your demise. If you choose to show up, you will die. If you choose not to show up or enter the Tournament… somebody else will get hurt, I promise you that."

After his threatening words, Jann faded into a moving crowd of people walking past.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes**: _**Third chapter is here!**_

_**Be sure to check for updates often seeing as how I update faster sometimes than usual without people noticing.  
**_

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Lei Fang went to Hitomi's house after the sudden strange encounter she had with Jann Lee earlier. She felt in need of a friend to discuss the actions of what happened. Appearing confused during the brief explanation, Hitomi didn't know what to think of it when she was informed about the young dragon's frightening attitude. Jann never resorted to hurting children in his life. There certainly had to be something going on with him.

"I don't get it. Why is he so eager to have you compete in the Tournament?" Hitomi questioned.

"I don't know. I wish I knew," Lei Fang muttered.

Hitomi's father stepped into the living room with a glass of orange juice in hand.

"It's obvious he wants to beat you in the Tournament, Lei Fang. When you defeated him, you crippled his pompous ego. I believe he wants revenge against you for beating him."

"But that's silly," Hitomi added in. "I mean, why hold a grudge over something like that?"

"I know it sounds silly, but it is what it is," Hitomi's father responded back. "Lei Fang, I think you should just talk to Jann and try to sort this whole thing out like young adults."

Talking things out in a more mature fashion sounded easy to Hitomi's father, but it wasn't to Lei Fang. She knew Jann was not a very negotiable or understanding person. When his mind was already set on something it stayed that way. He was a very hard human being to communicate with. Getting through Jann Lee was like trying to get through a brick wall.

Lei Fang later left Hitomi's house, thinking about her father's "settling the dispute" idea. There was a likely chance it wouldn't work, but it was worth a try. Jann normally trained outdoors at an open field area in the late evenings a few blocks from the city. The reason being for that was so pesky kids and adults would not disturb him. Knowing this, Lei Fang went straight to the field and waited patiently for her bitter rival to show up. The soft quiet wind blew the tall blades of swaying grass back against the waiting Chinese girl's moist legs, nearly tickling her. The sky began to darken as the shining sun drifted downward behind the tall trees.

Jann arrived a half-hour later, but wasn't alone. An old man with quite an impressive muscular physique walked by Jann's side as he entered the park. Upon seeing her cocky rival, Lei Fang rushed up to talk to him.

"Jann, we need to talk…alone," she whispered.

Jann motioned with his head for the old man to leave their presence for a few minutes.

"So, what is it you need to talk about?" he said, giving off an evil smirk.

"Look, this whole Tournament thing between me and you is silly. I don't think we need to fight each other. You agree?"

Jann shook his head rapidly from side to side. He wasn't going to accept defeat so easily. The raging fighter was longing for the moment when him and Lei Fang would step into the Tournament to fight again.

Lei Fang tried at best to convince him that the struggle between them was silly and pointless. But Jann saw it another way. He believed the female student should have to pay the price for defeating and humiliating him in front of the world.

"I always thought you liked to fight, Lei Fang. That is your style, isn't it?" Jann teased.

"I do like to fight, but not in this way."

"I don't care what you say. Your going down and that's final. By the end of the Tournament Lei Fang will be dead and buried!" he yelled with strong passion.

Lei Fang foresaw this happening. Jann just didn't want to see it the other way around. It was clear he was blinded by anger. There didn't seem to be anyway to get through to him. He was taking the situation way to seriously to the point where he wanted to beat Lei Fang within an inch of her life.

"I believe you should leave now. Your presence disgusts me," he scowled.

With that, Lei Fang turned and walked away with her head tucked down low in disappointment.

The old man came back over to Jann's side after she was gone from the field.

"Now that that little runt is gone lets get back to the basics," he said.

* * *

Lei Fang came home upset over Jann's response to her request not to fight. This wasn't going to just be a regular battle of punching it out until your opponent can't fight no more. Life or death was at stake. This brought meaning to the Tournaments name, Dead or Alive. Jann Lee promised Lei Fang that when the Tournament would be over she would be dead and buried. Those were chilling words she had never heard come from Jann's mouth. It was so unlike him to threaten to kill another human being. 

Lei Fang sat down on her soft velvet couch in the living room. Unlacing the heeled sandals from her feet, she moved herself down into a lying position, propping her head up against the armrest. The cordless phone started to ring off the hook, but Lei Fang wouldn't answer it. A recording message then played on the answering machine.

"Hello, Lei? This is Hitomi. I won't be able to go to the movies with you Friday because my uncle is coming over and I haven't seen him in a long while. I'm sorry I have to cancel. Maybe we can go sometime during the weekend. Oh by the way, what happened with Jann? Later."

The message stopped with Lei Fang sighing miserably. This really was not a good day for her. She recalled to mind Jann's threat that if she refused to show or compete in the competition somebody else would end up getting hurt. Who that person was he referred to was unknown. It could be anybody. Jann could simply target anyone at anytime if he wanted and severally hurt the person. Lei Fang hated being forced into doing things she didn't want to, but there were no other options to avoid the predicament.

For the rest of the day she studied her butt off until midnight. Books, pens, papers, and pencils lied messily over her desk. It was becoming a big challenge to concentrate with both studying and Jann Lee on the brain. Suddenly, her eyes closed and within the next second she fell asleep right over the work desk.

Hours later, the phone rung and woke her up.

"Hello?" she said, speaking into the phone, while still feeling a bit tired.

She was expecting it to be Hitomi, Kasumi or one of her other friends, but it was none of them. The caller had a deep manly voice that spoke at a slow pace. Lei Fang thought it was some kind of unknown prank phone caller at first, but then began to recognize the caller's voice once he said her name.

"So, Lei Fang, how are you doing?"

"J..J…Ja…Jann?"

The caller was indeed Jann Lee. Lei Fang didn't understand how he got a hold of her phone number. It was unusual yet creepy at the same time.

"How did you get my number, and what do you want?" Lei Fang irritably snarled.

Jann snickered again to hear stress and anger coming from his rival's elegant voice. The fury and displeasure she felt for hearing his cold tone he could easily perceive. It was a grand feeling to know.

"What do I want? Can't I just say hello to one of my good friends?" He chuckled.

Lei Fang could sense the playful sarcasm and didn't find it to be as funny as he did. She didn't appreciate him calling and waking her up just to toy around. Oddly, Jann normally lacked any sense of humor, so why he was being a jokester now was beyond Lei Fang.

"I am not your friend, Jann, and I don't want to be! Now, what do you want?" The Asian female bellowed

"Why so upset, Lei? Aren't you normally happy?"

Lei Fang slammed the phone down and hung it up. This was really starting to get ridiculous. She didn't want to have anything to do with Jann Lee or the Tournament. Harassing Lei Fang over the phone did exactly what Jann wanted and that was to anger her. After his loss at the Tournament, the spiky haired male wanted nothing more than to make her life miserable up until the next fighting competition. Harassing phone calls were just the beginning of what was to come for Lei Fang.

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**Authors notes: My comments to the users.**

**Gleeful Melancholy**: No, not her car!  
j/k...Jeez you update fast!

What the hell happened to Jann Lee? This story is getting kind of creepy, but exciting at the same time. I forgot that it's supposed to be supernatural, and I guess that's part of it's charm. There aren't too many supernatural stories out here.

Thanks for the nice long update, don't keep us waiting,lol

Glee

**Thunder's reply**: _**Thanks for your review. Yeah its supernatural, so that would explain the weirdness behind it.I hope you update your story soon seeing as how I'm looking forward to it.**_

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**fireinu**: like the new chapter. Jan Lee is a sykoe. 

**Thunder's reply**: **_Thanks. Yeah, I know, Jann's crazy. Do you think you could put a little more detail into your next review? More info on what you liked would be appreciated. Thanks in advance._**

* * *

**James Hanson**:Hello there. 

It's about time someone made a Jann Lee as a bad guy story! The only other such stories are two Hayate/Lei Fang stories. I mean Jann Lee is such a total dick! He's an even better bad guy than Ayane! In fact, in all the stories where Ayane is the only bad person (there all by people who only own DOA-2 Hardcore for their PS-2, they don't even have the PS-1 DOA!), they make Lei Fang and Jann Lee a couple! Uggh!

I mean not only does he mercilessly pound the poor girl, he then verbally humiliates her. The guy is such a misogionist (I hope I spelled that right). And since according to Tecmo's official storyline, he's never won any of the tournements, it means somebody defeated him. Hopefully it was one of the other female competitors. That should certainly teach him some manners!

And yet its strange that Lei Fang is so infatuated with the jerk. Kind of like how all those bright, intelligent, and attractive women write love letters to serial killers in prison? I mean he's like the Geese Howard of DOA! He's a bad ass fighter, but still only second best to the top bad guy. By the way, in all versions of the game, he's vulnerable to Lei Fangs kicks.

By the way, my favorite character is Ayane. I don't believe she's responsible for the death of Helena's mother. And since she's been emotionally and mentally abused by almost everyone in the Mugen-Tenshin, she's even more of and underdog than Miss Fang.

Okay this is probably more of a rant than an actual review, but I like to voice my opinions when one of the fighters is being abused by some punk gangster kid. Hell, maybe Jann Lee just needs to get laid. Or maybe he's just gay.

Thanks for listening, I'll keep reading for Mr Lee's eventual comeuppance. And keep writing!

Chiao!

James Hanson

_**Thunder's reply**_: _**Hello there.**_**_Wow, your review was long and a little motivational. Anyway, I'm glad to see you liked the story. I always wanted to create this kind of fic for everybody to read. I don't know if some of those comments about Jann were necessary, but still I thank you for taking the time to read my story.  
_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's notes:** _**Chapter 4 is here! **_

* * *

The Dead or Alive Tournament was eight long months away, and Lei Fang seemed very willing to train and get in shape for the coming day. She stood alone outside practicing her Tai Chi Chuan moves in the backyard. Heavy rainfall started to pour from the dark clouds in the sky and drench Lei Fang in cold wetness. Instead of going back in the house where it was dry, she chose to stand her ground and continue training throughout the harsh weather. This was an act of determination at work. Lei Fang wasn't going to let anything get in the way of her training, not even a rough rainstorm. 

The constant showers went on for hours, never seeming to end. Loud sounds of roaring thunder crackled through the sky, getting noisier and noisier. Lei Fang's braided, brown hair and clothes were practically soaked and wet. But none of that really bothered her, not for one bit. Training during a harsh rainstorm was actually fun to her. Not many people would agree, but Lei Fang defiantly thought so.

She was serious now, wanting nothing more than to take it to Jann Lee and put him in his place. Her training continued for days, easily becoming satisfied by the results and improvements that came along the way.

Elsewhere, Jann Lee was training even harder, pushing his rock solid body to the limits. He indeed wasn't going to be a pushover at the Tournament. The pompous young man trained as if his life was at risk, even though it wasn't, lifting weights that went over five hundred pounds.

Later, Lei Fang was still feeling a bit shaken up from the harassing phone call she received from Jann in the morning. It had upset her to a certain extent she didn't know what to do. To comfort her, Kasumi promised to come over and stay awhile, thinking it would help cool things down. Lei Fang waited patiently for her friend's arrival, but given Kasumi's huge track record of being late most of the time it wasn't going to happen right away. Dinner was set and it was going on 7:30. Lei Fang became worried.

Finally, there was a solid knock heard at the door before panic aroused.

"I'll get it!" Lei Fang's mom shouted.

"It's about time Kasumi got here," the college student mumbled in annoyance of her friend not showing up earlier.

Lei Fang walked down the carpeted steps from her room with a bright and cheery smile on. But that happy expression diminished when she noticed it wasn't Kasumi who had came in. Beside her mother stood Jann Lee, giving off his evil, crooked smile. Lei Fang's mouth speechlessly hung wide open in shock. There he was, the man she would soon meet at the Tournament, standing right inside her house. She wondered what he was trying to do. There had to be some specific reason behind it.

"Lei Fang, you have a guest," her mother said. "I just asked him to have dinner with us and he agreed."

Lei Fang thought the woman had to be out of her mind to ask Jann to dinner. There was no way she would allow for it to happen. But it did anyway. After all, Lei Fang's mother wasn't aware that the man that stood beside her was an egomaniac out for revenge against her daughter.

As they sat down at the round kitchen table, there were no sounds of immediate conversation going on, just blank stares being traded back and forth. To get everybody talking, Lei Fang's mother started up a conversation.

" So, Jann tells me you and him are close friends. Are you two perhaps dating each other?"

Lei Fang's eyes widened up as she suddenly coughed up her orange juice. She of course knew the statement was false.

"No, we're not dating," she grunted, staring at Jann in disgust. "I don't know where you got that from."

"Well, he looks like such a charming young man. I'd date him if I was his age and wasn't married," her mother teased.

During the entire dinner, Jann simply refused to take his eyes off of Lei Fang. His gaze stayed locked on her while he ate the food from his plate slowly. There was no telling what was going through his head during that time. Lei Fang's stomach cringed in response to his awkward stare. She wanted to get away from the kitchen and just be alone. Jann's constant gaze was really starting to get on her nerves.

"I'll be outside," she said, dismissing herself from the table.

"But Lei, you haven't even touched your food," her mother stated.

"I'm not really hungry. Something has caused me to lose my appetite."

Now that she was alone, the thought of why her arrogant rival had come over ran through her. He had to be up to something, but she wasn't sure what. Soon, out of the house Jann came sitting up beside her on the patio

"What do you want, Jann?" she sternly grumbled.

"Nothing. Can't a guy hang out with his good friend?" he chuckled sarcastically, putting his arm around her.

At that moment, Lei Fang felt she could no longer stand it. The sarcasm and the fooling around had to stop.

"Oh cut it out! You may be able to fool my mother but you can't fool me! You really need to get over this stuff and quit being such a big baby!"

Jann took his arm from around her waist and went over towards one of the trees in the backyard with his head lowered. He remained perfectly still, not moving an inch of his body. The expression he showed wasn't a happy one, more like sad. Witnessing that, Lei Fang started to think that maybe she came off as a bit rude. She paced up to him with his back turned to her, wanting to apologize for the comment. There was still no moment from him, only silence.

"Jann. Jann? Jann? Jann, I didn't mean to…"

The young dragon quickly spun around, grabbing Lei Fang by the waist and ramming her straight up against the tree.

"Nobody calls me a baby!" he snarled in a monstrous tone.

She could see the intensity in his flaring eyes that floated like two searing fireballs. He looked as if some evil spirit had possessed him. The smell of garlic lingered off of his steamy, hot breath as he raised Lei Fang up against the tree even higher by the collar of her shirt. Mad as a hornet he appeared, clinching his teeth with his face turning a bright, angry red color. Lei Fang was then unexpectedly dropped on the ground into the grass.

When she stood back up, Jann was nowhere in sight. It looked as if he had totally disappeared. A strange noise was heard rumbling from behind Lei Fang's back. In surprise, she turned around and saw Jann Lee literally uprooting the tree he had knocked her up against from the ground as if it were a small weed.

"This is only but a sample of what I can do!" he shouted.

This was incredible. No ordinary human being could do such a thing. Lei Fang wondered as to how he had acquired such power. As heavy as the tree was, Jann held it easily like a baseball bat. He swung it multiple times at Lei Fang, having her duck and roll out of the way before it could make contact with her body. Before long, Jann became tired and exhausted, unaware as to why. He dropped the big tree in the grass and starting panting while down on one knee with beads of sweat dripping from his face.

"What the hell is going on? Jann cried. "Why I am so tired?"

* * *

**Comments to the reviewers **

**Gullible Panda**:

F

U  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
N

Because you know that's how you spell this fic. Fun! O! Jann Lee is a total retard pathetic weakling coward and that kung fu chick Lei Lei defeated him! HA! BEAT THAT JANN PEE! XP

Anyway...

CONTINUE!

!PANDA!

**Thunder's reply: _I'm glad you think the fic is fun because thats what I'm having as I write it. Thank you for your review!_**

**

* * *

Gleeful Melancholy: **gapes at impossibly fast update  
...I rest my case :p

Jann Lee is getting really scary in his obsession, to the point of death threats. I can't remember if you wrote this in there, but I picture him with glowing red eyes, lol. And who is that old man?

It's interesting how Jann Lee is now making this rivalry a psychological thing, besides just physical.

Very nice, carry on.  
Glee

**Thunder's reply**: _**Thanks. Yeah, I know I update pretty fast sometimes. I'm glad you think the story is interesting. I've been wanting to do this fic for awhile, so I'm glad I have the chance to share it with you. More will come soon...maybe sooner than you think, lol. **_

**

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fireinu: **I like ayane as wel, I hope you update soon. por lay-chan. She studys so hard and never gets a brake. she stil has the offer from kasoomi to go sumwhere fryday.

**Thunder's reply**: _**Yeah, I feel sorry for poor Lei Fang. She has a real rough life. Thanks for the review.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Here's the next chapter, enjoy! **_

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Jann Lee was down, primarily exhausted, breathing heavily in the wispy grass. Somehow he became exceedingly tired and unaware as to why. This was a strange occurrence and an act of bad timing. He really enjoyed bullying his teenage adversary around and trying to show his superiority to her, but it had to come to a halt for now. Jann Lee darted out of the yard with the remaining energy he had left, feeling shameful for getting exhausted right in the middle of a battle that was starting to get interesting. 

When he ran off, he left Lei Fang confused and scratching her head as to what was going on with him. Picking trees out of the ground like they were weeds was very out of the ordinary. She was curious on how he got so powerful. At the previous Tournament, he did not contain such powers, why he did now was a mystery. Lei Fang, despite her willingness to want to fight Jann, at the same time did not want this ongoing conflict between them to get any bigger than it already was.

So far, Jann had been doing his best to intimidate the young college student before the Tournament came. Playing mind games and bullying her around was his strategy. Lei Fang didn't want to admit it, but Jann's plan was actually succeeding. She was afraid of him and what he could possibly do to her. A year before, the Chinese female knew no fear when it came to Jann Lee. At the time, he was just an overgrown, arrogant jerk that liked to shove his dominance in fighting competitions in other people's faces. But now he was actually something to fear.

At last, Kasumi came to the doorstep an hour later, carrying some baggage full of clothes. Instead of just staying for a little while, she thought why not spend the night and sleep over. Lei Fang brought her upstairs into the bedroom and explained what happened earlier with Jann. Kasumi's eyes slanted distrustfully, as if what she was being told was some kind of playful joke, but it wasn't a joke. It was very serious.

"I'm telling you, Kasumi. He actually uprooted a tree from the ground with ease and used it against me like a baseball bat."

"This sounds like something out of a horror picture," Kasumi stated, "Are you sure you didn't dream this up?"

"No, I'm positive it was real!" Lei Fang thundered.

Kasumi had never known Lei Fang to lie before or try to mislead her. She was always honest and truthful. There was really nothing to gain from lying. Noting this, Kasumi decided to believe the story and take it for being the truth.

"I believe you, Lei Fang," she replied, believing what was said was the truth.

"Well, I'm glad you at least do. I doubt anybody else will."

"Of course I believe you. But can I ask you something?"

"With what's been shown, do you really think you can beat Jann this time?"

Lei Fang grew silent, not wanting to give out what she actually thought. She wasn't really sure if she could be Jann. He was now a lot deadlier and stronger than before. So, beating him was going to be a tough challenge.

"Lei?" Kasumi said, moving closer to her Chinese friend.

"I'm not really sure I can beat him," she sighed. "Even with my training going smoothly, I still don't feel that it's going to be enough to take him."

"Well, I could help you practice more. Would you like that?"

"I guess. More help is always welcome," Lei Fang timidly smiled.

Dawn arrived many hours later with Kasumi having to drag a sleepy Lei Fang out from underneath the thick blankets of her bed. The two put on their training gear and moved out to a nice quiet spot in the far woods where they felt they would not be bothered. Kasumi wore a blue and black jumpsuit with white tennis shoes. Lei Fang wore a hugging red tank top that stuck close to her thin skin and a pair of black shorts. The atmosphere was well suited for them. Peaceful and calm the woods were with plenty of area to practice in. Kasumi slowly unzipped her sleeved top and threw it right off into one of the bushes.

"Ok Lei, you ready?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Lei Fang said.

The two separated themselves from each other and broke into their traditional fight stances. Lei Fang rotated her arms in a circular motion, while Kasumi kept her arms at her side. They were briefly warming up before the practicing got started. Once prepared, they charged at each other and began sparring. Kasumi threw a few stinging chops to start things off. Lei Fang dodged all of them and quickly grabbed Kasumi by the arm and slammed her down, back first in the moist dirt. Small pieces of stones and soil came flying out from the impact.

The deer that populated the woods were easily scared off and ran off to a quieter area. Kasumi sprung back up from the ground and caught Lei Fang off guard with a swift kick to the back of the head. Lei Fang stumbled forward a bit and crashed into a nearby tree. Seeing an opportunity to attack from behind, Kasumi dashed forward to deliver a powerful jab. But to her surprise, Lei Fang countered and slammed her down. They backed away from each other to rest a little while before going at it again. Suddenly, they heard the noise of loud clapping. Both Kasumi and Lei Fang turned their attention away from each other and saw that the sound was coming from a hiding Hitomi.

"Wow, you guys fight well," she said, impressed.

"Hitomi? What are you doing here," asked a concerned Lei Fang.

"Your mother told me you were training here. I'd like to join the party, if that's ok with you?"

"Sure, we could use another sparring partner."

Hitomi tightened up the slim belt around the waist of her red karate uniform and punched and kicked at the air.

"Alright, who wants to try me first?"

All three teenagers sparred from morning till dusk, preparing themselves for the Tournament. At the end of the day, Lei Fang left the woods feeling much more confident in herself.

"I can't wait for the Tournament, guys. It's going to be very exciting to see how well you two fight," she said. Who are you looking forward to fighting, Kasumi?"

"No one in particular. Maybe some new fighters, if there are any. After awhile, you start to get bored with the roster that never seems to change. It's probably just going to be all the same fighters from last time. What about you, Hitomi?"

"I would love to get my hands on Tina. She's been talking me down since the last Tournament. I also wouldn't mind having a shot at Zack."

"You mean your boyfriend?" Kasumi teased.

"Eww, yuck! I don't like him. He's so perverted and disgusting," Hitomi said, pretending to gag.

"That may be true but he is a good fighter," Lei Fang added in.

After the chatting had ended, Kasumi and Hitomi headed for their homes, as did Lei Fang.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's notes:** _**Ack. Sorry it took me so long. I'll try to update faster**_

_**Remember to still check back often, because you just might miss my update and not even notice. Anyways, enjoy! **_

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The flowing waves of the clear blue ocean were soothing yet peaceful. Lounging around on a quiet beach after rough, seemingly endless days of training was the perfect antidote for Lei Fang. She walked across the sandy surface of land, barefooted, taking in the beautiful scenery that surrounded her. Often the beach was a place for her to unwind and relax, to get away from problems and stress that tormented her daily. There was no other place quite like it. At the beach, nobody disturbed her, for there weren't that many people that knew of its existence to come and cause a distraction. It was a special place to come relax and enjoy the brightness of the glaring sun. 

As she lied over in the bedded sand, Lei Fang gazed up at the sun and thought about the Tournament that was drawing in closer and closer with every passing day. In the beginning her purpose for joining was Jann Lee, but now she just wanted to participate and have fun with the other fighters. He really wasn't roaming her mind as much as before. The training she endured over the months made her more confident. In truth she knew what was at stake. Jann Lee had turned his loss into a huge personal issue. It was driven up to the point where he promised to severally hurt Lei Fang and bring misery and fear into her life. At first his plan was working, but now it was starting to go downhill. In reality, he was just being ignorant and immature for showing a lot of hatred towards a person for beating him. Lei Fang didn't have such strong hateful emotions for Jann, even before the Tournament. She only wanted to test her skills against his after he beat up a gang of thugs that tried to ambush her long ago. Once she defeated him, the rivalry between them would be over and done with. But Jann still wanted it to continue forth, he didn't want to let things go peacefully. He was willing to sacrifice anything to win the competition.

**The arrival of the Tournament**

At last, the big event had finally arrived, the event everyone had been waiting for. The high-leveled screams of hundreds to thousands of rousing people were heard outside the stadium arena, building up at the front gate. Expecting to see a good and entraining show, there was no doubt they would soon get what they wanted.

Dozen upon dozens of competitors were already entered and signed up to compete, a lot more than last year's. This made things much more interesting and less dull, for it made things less predictable in a way. New fighters could mean anything, such as more challenges and surprises or more people to just use as punching bags. There were so many people coming in to see the competition it was unbelievable. The tickets being sold did better then expected and surpassed the sales of even the previous Tournament. By the beginning of the event, the place had been completely packed full of screaming spectators.

Rising down from the rafters was a large TV screen containing small brackets of all the Tournament participant's names. The brackets were mixed around and then displayed to crowd to see whom each fighter would fight against.

An announcer dressed in a fancy, black tuxedo stood in the center of the stadium welcoming everyone for showing up and addressing the rules and regulations of the Tournament. Once he was done giving out all the necessary information, he did the honors for announcing the first match.

"Ok, ladies and gentlemen, up first we have Helena versus Ayane!"

Helena was the first to come out from the back stage area. She came to a bridge that sloped itself automatically into a slanted ramp for her to walk down on towards the fighting ring. The crowd screamed and whistled from seeing her bright and well-ordered appearance, but she didn't take any notice to their cheers, screams, or whistles. Ayane came out seconds later doing the same thing as Helena, not paying any mind to the crowd. Both their minds were focused more on fighting and winning than to pay attention to the crowd reactions. From the entryway of the stage, Hitomi and Kasumi watched to examine and study their opponents. To them, it was always best to study an opponent and get an idea of what they were capable of.

Lei Fang was present as well with her back arched up against the wall, seeming a bit relaxed and unworried at the moment. She didn't appear to be taking the situation seriously like the other fighters. Jann Lee, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found or seen. Most would think he would already have arrived with as much determination and willingness he showed with wanting to defeat Lei Fang. Ayane and Helena's battle lasted at least a half an hour before it ended with Ayane gaining the upper hand and scoring her first victory. The second upcoming match was between Lei Fang and Bass.

Lei Fang stood in the fighting floor alone, moving around gracefully, practicing her combat stances and techniques while she waited for Bass to show up. She wore her trademark red dress with a gold dragon designed on the front, along with her favorite open toed heeled sandals that she often wore in battle.

"I don't see how Lei Fang fights in that getup," Hitomi unknowingly said, while watching Lei Fang warm up. "I know I wouldn't be able to fight in heels like those, my feet would hurt so much I would have to take them off. And that dress of hers is so nice, I don't see why she would want to ruin it."

"I don't understand it either," Kasumi replied, "but it's the way she prefers to fight. There's nothing really wrong with a girl beating up people and looking good doing it, is there?"

Hitomi shrugged apathetically and drew her attention back to Lei Fang. Finally, an emerging shadow could be seen reflecting off the walls of the entryway. The figure seemed like a big heavyset fellow, most likely Bass.

But everyone's hopes were crushed when they found out it was Jann Lee and his elderly trainer passing through to see the next match. It wasn't hard to figure out that the young dragon had came out to taunt and watch Lei Fang compete in her match. His desire of wanting to see how much she had improved from the previous Tournament far exceeded anybody else's.

His devil like eyes glared at her menacingly, motioning with his hand that the end for her was only hours away. The pounding heart from inside his chest was beating with uncanny excitement. Now the time he had longingly awaited for was here.

Lei Fang returned his wicked gaze with a stone cold stare of her own and plunged the back of her sharp, heeled sandal straight into the cemented floor, creating a small hole in the ground. Lei Fang could tell by his look that the battle between them was going to be fiercer than the one they had before. Their intimidating stares were soon interrupted when Bass stumbled his way to the ring from the backstage area.

Bass stomped up to Lei Fang, creating small foot holes in the ground from the heaviness of his feet. He practically stood over her like a towering giant. The size difference between them was very noticeable and not very surprising. The heavy American wrestler didn't see the Chinese college student as very serious in being a challenge.

"I suggest going home, little girl, I wouldn't want to flatten a little thing like you," he insultingly chuckled, looking down at her like a small toddler.

Lei Fang folded her arms behind her back timidly, stepped closer to the brawny fighter and smiled.

"Aw, that's so sweet. You know, I feel the same way about you," she giggled.

Bass's face turned blazing red from her response. He didn't find her commenting insult very funny or cute. He thought because of his large size she would be afraid of him. But he saw no signs of fear in her eyes, only a want to fight.

He hauled off with his fist balled high up in the air and drove it downward into her face to deliver a crashing blow to start things off. Lei Fang, seeing his fist coming, caught his arm with precise timing before his hand nearly touched her skin. She twisted his arm around quickly and flipped him over her shoulder on his back. The ring floor shook up as if a rapid earthquake had just hit. Bass was laid out flat on his back, leaving a large crater in the cemented ring floor. Dazed and confused, he could not understand as to how Lei Fang managed to flip him over so easily.

"Take it easy, old man," she said with a playful grin.

Bass sat up from the ground brushing the dust and rocks off his tank top from the concrete. He felt a little embarrassed by being slammed so easily by a girl way smaller than him. Usually, nobody was able to slam Bass down before, but somehow Lei Fang was enabled to do it.

This was the first time he had been put on his back in a long while. His ego crumbled even more when he attacked Lei Fang with angrily with everything he had at his disposal. All his moves were countered with the slightest ease and thrown right back at him. His fighting technique became sloppy, making it much easier to dodge his attacks and counter them.

Before Bass knew it, he was done and defeated after being knocked out by one of Lei Fang's sharp kicks to the throat. After her victory, Lei Fang could tell that the training she went through was paying off. Being a good sport, Lei Fang helped Bass up off the ground and to his feet. He looked down at her, wondering why she was being so nice after the way he treated her.

" Are you ok? That was a good match, but next time you should be more focused during the fight," she said, winking at him.

Bass seemed happy from the encouragement given out to him. He liked her for being a good sport and showing respect for him, unlike his rebellious daughter. The two fighters extended arms and shook hands respectfully before walking out.

Next up was Jann Lee's match.

Lei Fang walked up the ramp as Jann Lee walked passed her from the opposite direction. Their eyes connected only for a split second before they were out of each other's view. It was at that moment Lei Fang could feel the wind sweeping heavily against her, forcing her to turn and look directly at Jann. She could sense some kind of strange presence dwelling within him, one that wasn't noticeable from before.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's notes**: _**Hello all, I have returned. I put a lot into this chapter and I hope you all will enjoy it. **_

* * *

Jann Lee's match didn't last very long for Lei Fang to watch it. From the moment she turned her back to retreat to the backstage area, the fight was already over with before it even got started. This made Lei Fang a little curious over her spiky haired rival's newly obtained abilities. 

As the Tournament continued on, more and more people found themselves either gaining victories or heading back home after suffering a painfully enduring loss. Both Hitomi and Kasumi progressed to the higher rankings in their matches, pitting them against the tougher and more advanced fighters.

The Tournament was scheduled to last over a period of four days, at least that was the estimated time it would last due to the massive number of competitors competing. All fighters would stay at an exceptionally large hotel and be introduced to the comforts of the building's fine hospitality.

During the time when the Tournament wasn't active, most fighters would find themselves venturing outside into the nearby woods to practice their skills. Kasumi happened to be outside alone, doing a series of stretches and warm up routines before doing her usual daily training.

The woods were often quiet and peaceful, enabling her to have full concentration over everything she did. But her concentration was soon broken when she heard a screaming sound coming a few yards away from her current position. The noise sounded like somebody was both straining and struggling at the same time, like that were in need of assistance.

Kasumi rushed ahead with her feet zipping through the moist ground to see what could be done, but once she had reached the believed location where the sound was coming from she found both Jann Lee and his elderly comrade sitting down and meditating.

Remaining behind the bushes to stay quiet and not alert anyone, Kasumi kept hidden by keeping a distant from the silent pair.

"What are they doing?" she wondered in curiosity.

Jann Lee suddenly rose up from the ground, standing in front of an old, large oak tree. He held himself still, not moving any part of his body. Keeping both eyes closed, he raised his head to take a deep breath of fresh air and exhale it out. Kasumi appeared confused as to what was going on.

"Concentrate. Concentrate the energy, focus it from the inside and then focus it out," said the old man.

Kasumi stepped closer to get a better view and was soon horrified by what she was witnessing. A dark aura started to surround Jann's masculine body. Somehow he was generating mystic energy out where it could be made visible. He balled up his right hand into a tight grasp and with an ear-piercing scream he struck his hardened fist into the old, towering oak tree. The tall woody plant collapsed and hit the solid ground, creating a massive earthquake. Kasumi almost screamed from sheer fright, but managed to cover her mouth before it got out.

Jann Lee stared at his right hand, still semi impressed with his abilities.

"I want to acquire more power. This isn't enough, Shen," he said, speaking to the old stranger beside him.

"That's good that you'd want more power. Just continue to focus and build your strength up. It will all come in due time," Shen replied. "Remember, the Kagai powers will only grow as long as you have a pressuring goal in mind to either succeed or conquer."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Jann irritably muttered, after having that saying repeated to him for the twelfth time in a row.

Kasumi backed away fearfully after witnessing Jann's recent actions and ran in the other direction as fast as she could. The noise she made from running caught both Jann Lee and Shen's attention.

"Who was that?" Jann asked.

"That looked to be the girl known as Kasumi," said Shen. "Should we pursue after her?"

"No," Jann said bluntly. "Let her go. All she's going to do is run and tell her friends."

**

* * *

Day 2 of the Tournament **

The next 2nd day of the Tournament was now starting and Hitomi was already in the middle of watching another impressive bout being fought. Kasumi crept to her side, appearing slightly pale.

"Boy, look at Ryu go. He's got plenty of fight in him," Hitomi said. "Don't you think so?"

Kasumi didn't utter a word. Her lips were silent and unable to move. During the whole entire match she didn't speak or give a single reply to any of Hitomi's conversating words.

"Kasumi are you ok? Are you feeling under the weather or something? You haven't spoken since you got here."

Kasumi wanted to speak, but what she had seen earlier was beyond belief. She trembled in fear just thinking about it, and normally nothing really scared her. But this was a different matter. Jann Lee didn't seem quite human anymore and this made Kasumi fear for the other competitor's safety, including Lei Fang.

"Hey, Kasumi, guess what, I'm going to be fighting Jann Lee next," Hitomi said, enthusiastically.

Kasumi glared back at Hitomi like she was crazy. Apparently, she didn't know what she was getting into. She tried to stop her friend from going to the ring, but it was too late.

Hitomi stood poised and ready, waiting for Jann to arrive. He soon emerged through the entryway receiving loud boos and hisses from the crowd as he went down the ramp. His attention wasn't focused at the crowd only at his female opponent. The two fighters gave each other a brief stare down before the match began.

Hitomi looked up at Jann, noticing his tall size and muscular framed body. She could feel the intensity pounding within his heart, as she looked deep into his menacing eyes. Jann stared down at her seeing her as only a minor obstacle blocking his way. The match suddenly started with Hitomi holding her guard up.

"Don't go all crazy if I beat you," she teased.

Jann Lee took harsh offense to that insult, but didn't attack. Instead, he gave Hitomi the pleasure of attacking first. Hitomi swung her leg into a twisting kick towards her opponent's face. Seeing the attack come before it nearly hit him, Jann caught her foot by the ankle and held it perfectly still. Hitomi struggled to move her leg, feeling Jann's grip on it beginning to tighten. With that, he knocked her up and flipped her over. Hitomi's back made a thudding impact with the ring floor. She stood up, moving around while thinking up a strategy.

Meanwhile, Kasumi watched from the entrance, still appearing a bit shaken up. Surprisingly, Lei Fang was nowhere to be found. Out of everybody that was watching the fight, most would think she'd be there to see it as well, but she wasn't.

The roaring crowd soon started to get behind Hitomi and cheer her on. Their loud voices motivated the young teenager into a comeback. Now Jann Lee was the one taking the hits. He found himself on the receiving end trying to block Hitomi's kicks and jabs while moving away to recuperate, but the girl stayed on Jann and wouldn't give him any space to take a breather.

More appending strikes were applied to the stomach, chest, and face area of the arrogant fighter as he continued to take a defensive stance rather than attack. Kasumi couldn't watch the fight anymore and wanted it to end as quickly as possible. She dashed to the outside of the ring and immediately begged Hitomi to throw the fight.

"Hitomi, please, listen to me! Give up and admit defeat, its not worth it!"

"Huh? No way, I've come too far to back down now," Hitomi said, whiling still attacking Jann.

Right now, things were going well for Hitomi. The crowd was one hundred percent behind her and she had Jann on the defensive, but Kasumi saw the outcome being different than the way it appeared.

"Hitomi! Quit the match, now!"

"No! I refuse to give in. I have no reason to," Hitomi shouted back.

With a thrusting hard-hitting punch across the face, Hitomi sent Jann skidding across the ring floor. The crowd halted their screaming cheers and went into silence. The referee came in to start the count.

"He wasn't so tough," Hitomi said, eyeing Kasumi.

The crowd then continued their cheers, feeling Jann Lee about to experience yet another grueling defeat at the hands of a female. Hitomi turned to the crowd and waved happily. This was going to be another big upset that nobody was expecting.

"5,6,7,8,9……"

Before the referee could reach the final number that would declare Hitomi the victor, Jann Lee sprung to his feet and stood up. Not so much as a scratch or a speck of blood was seen on his usually cocky face. He quickly dashed up to Hitomi with her back turned and clubbed her over the head with his fist.

Kasumi held her mouth in sheer awe, knowing something like this would soon happen. Jann Lee was now on the offensive. He slapped Hitomi around with the backside of his hand and nailed her once in the stomach with the noises of the hits echoing through the area.

She bent over coughing and sputtering from the harsh blow. This wasn't enough to satisfy Jann. He felt he needed to do more physical damage to his opponent. Standing Hitomi back on her weary feet, he made his infamous battle cry screech throughout the arena before pummeling her with multiple jabs to the stomach and face.

"No! Please, stop! Don't hurt her anymore!" Kasumi shouted, telling Jann to back off.

He ignored her pleading request and continued to punch and kick Hitomi until she was as lifeless as a rag doll. The Chinese fighter held her up by the arm as he took his assault to the next level. He shoved Hitomi out of the ring, but the match couldn't be declared over unless a fighter became knocked down and counted out or pounded into submission.

Hitomi was showing she was a real trooper, that she wasn't willing to give up and lose so easily, but Kasumi saw her stubborn attitude as being foolish and inconsiderate.

Finally, Hitomi was much too battered and bruised to defend herself against Jann's strikes. Her whole entire body was motionless as Jann held her up by the neck like a lifeless dummy.

Kasumi so badly wanted to step into the ring and stop the ensuing madness, but she knew she didn't stand a chance against Jann with the unnatural strength that had been somehow given to him. The crowd became disgusted by what they saw. They were really rooting for Hitomi to win and it certainly didn't look like she was going to now.

To finish her off Jann tossed his nearly lifeless opponent up into the air and waited for her to come back down. When she descended from the sky, he leaped up and kicked her straight in the gut with a soaring kick. Hitomi crashed into the ground like a falling airplane with her body apparently paralyzed.

Jann picked her up again and landed in a few more blows before finally stopping. To conclude the fight, Jann dropped Hitomi and kicked her to the side as if she were a piece of rotting garbage. Kasumi prayed that her friend didn't have any strength left to get up. Letting Jann win and not getting up was the only alternative unless she wanted to endure another beating.

Everyone could tell that the fight was finished, including the referee. After the ten count, Jann Lee was declared the winner of the match. Kasumi then rushed over to Hitomi's side after her loss and examined the beaten female. Her eyes were black and teary, staring straight up towards the sky with her body staying motionless.

The paramedics urgently came out with a stretcher ready to place her on while Jann Lee paced over to admire his handwork and notice the damage he had done. Kasumi left Hitomi's side for a moment and walked over to Jann, pounding his chest angrily with her fists.

"How could you do something like this? Why?" Kasumi said, crying.

Jann Lee smiled with no shame of what did. He then watched as the paramedics wheeled Hitomi away.

"Quite simple, this is a Tournament. People are going to get hurt and your just going to have to accept it," he coldly stated.

"But what is all this about? What was the meaning of that vicious attack?" Kasumi asked.

Jann Lee grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her closer to his sweaty chest.

"That was a message for your friend, Lei Fang. And what I did to Hitomi won't be anywhere near as worse as what I'm going to do to her. You see, your friend just left here on a stretcher. After the fight between me and Lei Fang, she's going to be leaving here in a casket, and I am personally going to bury her myself!"

With a hard shove, he pushed Kasumi to the ground and walked away feeling proud of himself and his accomplishing victory. The crowd booed him on the way up the ramp, but the negative reaction he received was music to his ears. Kasumi sat on the ground, realizing Lei Fang was really dealing with a ruthless monster other than a normal human being.

"I don't know how she can win," Kasumi whispered to herself, referring to Lei Fang's chances of beating Jann.


	8. Chapter 8

Kasumi saw she needed to snap out of it as the chilling weather outside began to grow colder with the current flow of the wind. She wasn't feeling quite like herself the whole day through. Jann Lee's new found strength did take her by surprise, but she had seen many unearthly things before. Even she was capable of doing things a typical average human couldn't possibly do, but something about Jann's power was too out of the ordinary for her.

Before the fight was even underway she knew Hitomi didn't stand the slightest chance against the radical Jeet Kune Do fighter. It was apparent that her punches and kicks were barely fazing him at all and showing no signs of doing any significant damage. Kasumi perceived that he was only pretending to be harmed, in order to trick Hitomi into thinking she had him in a tight spot, and then when the time came Jann would get back on his feet, making a surprising recovery, and literally knock her out to be awarded the victory.

**From Inside The Arena**

The back of Lei Fang's sharp, clunky heels pounded against the solid concrete stadium floors while accelerating past the rocky pillars as she ran towards the stage area seeming to be in a big hurry. She recognized Kasumi over by the ring and sped towards her, panting and sweating in exhaustion. "Hey, what happened to Hitomi? I just came back from the hotel and on my way here I saw Hitomi being carried out on a stretcher and loaded up into an ambulance."

Kasumi eyes slowly made contact with Lei Fang's with still being upset over the chaos she just witnessed. What ran through her mind at the moment was that nobody could beat Jann Lee after seeing what he had did previously before the match came to a close. "Jann Lee is what happened to her," Kasumi muttered.

Lei Fang's eyes widened in astonishment as she clinched her fist up into a ball. She could distinguish this was an exact message being sent through Hitomi directly to her. This was starting to get way out of hand and too emotional for normal standards. Out of everybody in the Tournament, she didn't expect to see Hitomi being the one getting rolled out on a stretcher.

Her friends didn't need to suffer through her rivalry with Jann, for it was totally unnecessary to include them into something they had absolutely nothing to do with. This was meant to be between the two of them, Jann Lee and Lei Fang, but Jann was bringing others into the mix and making it more personal than ever.

After informing Lei Fang of Jann's brutal actions against Hitomi, Kasumi then revealed what she saw in Jann earlier. "I saw his power in the woods," Kasumi blurted out.

"Huh?"

"I see what you mean now when you said something was wrong with him."

"What do you mean?"

"He had a dark aura growing around him when I saw him training in the woods. Some dark strange power is growing within him.When he fought Hitomi, he simply toyed with her, allowing her to think she could beat him. But before she got into that ring I knew she didn't stand a chance."

Lei Fang blank stared Kasumi, who was soon starting to feel better. It was good that somebody else knew that she wasn't crazy and making up lies about Jann showing unnatural characteristics. "Does this mean your going to quit the Tournament, because of him?" Lei Fang questioned.

"No," Kasumi answered. "That's what Jann wants me to do, but I'm not going to. I'm staying."

Lei Fang was proud that her friend didn't let Jann Lee's intimidation push her around. They needed to keep their minds focused on the main task and that was winning. If they were to give in and accept fear than Jann Lee would have already won a succeeding victory.

But deep down inside, Jann Lee's cruel assault on Hitomi pushed Lei Fang over the edge and beyond. His hardening loss from last year was going to be taken out on everybody that faced him. There was no telling what he'd do to the rest of the competition soon and later on in the coming hours.

* * *

Day two of the Tournament drew to a close with the remaining fighters turning in for a night of rest. Lei Fang had went into the bathroom to wash up before going off to bed. She threw cold running water from the sink on her oily face to clean out the pores in her skin from all the sweat she contracted during the matches. Always a bit of a clean freak, she made sure there wasn't any part of her that was musty or filthy. 

After being dried off with a fresh white towel that hung from the iron rack of the shower, she gazed into the mirror, but didn't see a reflection of a half naked college student from China. In her place, she saw Jann Lee with his pompous smile and ripped muscles glaring back at her. The real Jann it was not, but only that of an image being generated from Lei Fang's mind. The image of Jann Lee smiled and laughed, while taunting Lei Fang with words and gestures.

"You can never beat me, Lei Fang!" The image of Jann exclaimed after having a nice chuckle. "The moment me and you step into the ring, I will crush you into the dirt and make sure you never get up again."

Lei Fang immediately balled her fist up and rammed it straight into the mirror, but not so hard as to break or crack it. The image of Jann faded away and disappeared, being no longer visible in the mirror. Jann's threats were starting to bother and frustrate Lei Fang, but not so much as to intimidate and frighten her.

A soft tap was heard at the door to soon disrupt Lei Fang's wandering attention. Not knowing who it was, Lei Fang asked for the knocker's identity before opening the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Kasumi. May I come in?"

"Just a second!" Lei Fang shouted, trying to put some clothes on.

Lei Fang unlocked the door and welcomed her friend inside with water still dripping from her face and hair on to the rough carpet. Kasumi sat down in one of the cushioned chairs by the bed and could sense something bothering Lei Fang, but didn't make any attempts to question on what was troubling her. "I just came back from the hospital," Kasumi stated. "Hitomi will be ok, but she won't be able to fight for a long while."

This was obvious to Lei Fang with the condition she saw Hitomi in after being wheeled out of the Tournament, but she didn't like hearing the fact that Hitomi wouldn't be able to fight for a long time. It was tough to explain to someone so dedicated and emotional as Hitomi that she couldn't do the very thing she liked for a while because of injuries. Lei Fang knew she had to be taking it hard.

After hearing the news, Lei Fang lied stretched out across the bed sighing angrily at Hitomi not being able to compete anymore just because of a certain egomaniac. "Jann Lee has gone too far. I have to put an end to this," Lei Fang said.

"Everyone he's fought so far as either been hospitalized or quit before being given the chance to face him," noted Kasumi. "How do you expect to beat him?"

"I don't know, but I'll find a way."

Lei Fang glanced at the alarm clock sitting on the dresser top beside her bed. It was getting close to midnight and she didn't want to lose any needed sleep. "I'm not trying to rush you out or anything, but I think we should be going to bed now due to the Tournament starting really early in the morning," Lei Fang pointed out.

Kasumi saw that it was getting late too and agreed she should go. She gave Lei Fang a departing bow and paused before walking out the door. "I'll be in the lobby tomorrow, waiting for you."

"Ok," Lei Fang nodded.

Kasumi went out the door and into the hallway, leaving Lei Fang alone to rest for the night. Rest she believed she was going to need to take on her opponent, Zack, who was known to be very tricky in his matches. One slip up could easily mean failure against him. Shortly, Lei Fang gathered her blankets and laid face down in the pillows of the bed before drifting off to sleep.

Morning soon arose with Lei Fang lacing up her white heels into a bow and putting on another long elegant dress that resembled her red one, but being blue instead. She came into the elevator and was asked to hold the door open before it closed by a screaming voice coming out in the hall. Zack rushed in breathing heavily and was thankful that someone was nice to leave the door open for him. "Thank you," he said, not knowing who he was thanking.

He then turned his head up and saw his opponent Lei Fang standing right beside him in surprise. Examining her up and down he smiled joyfully, not wanting to take his eyes off of her gorgeous figure. He eyed her curvy legs and lush pink toenails and then stared his way to the top of her toned arms and chest. "Wow. Looking mighty sexy there, Lei Fang. You heading to a party or something in that dress?"

Lei Fang covered her mouth and giggled in response to his question. "Thanks for the complement, and the answer is no, silly. This is what I'm going to fight you in," she replied.

"Oh yeah, that's right. You and me got a match today. I'll tell you what, how about we forget this fight and you and me go kick it alone for awhile?"

"Sorry Zack, I'm not looking to date anybody right now. Oh, here's the first floor, got to go. See you in the ring!" Lei Fang said, getting out of the elevator as fast as she could.

She went into the lobby leaving Zack alone in the elevator free to talk to his self. "Well, at least she didn't say no like the other girls did, so I might have a chance with her," he said, rubbing his hands together in happiness.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's notes:Thank you for the reviews, everybody. Here's the next chapter. **

* * *

Lei Fang didn't see Kasumi in the lobby or anywhere else on the first floor of the eight-story hotel. They were supposed to be going to go to the tournament together, but that wouldn't take effect if Kasumi were not to show. Luckily, Lei Fang was patient enough to wait for her friend to arrive. It was the least she could do for someone who would often do the same for her in advance. She sat down in one of the hotel's comfy chairs while dragging her long fingernail across the armrest and staring up continuously at the shiny gold clock that hung gracefully on the wall, setting off hourly with its ringing chimes. 

Neither her nor Kasumi's match was to be commencing anytime soon, but Lei Fang was an on time kind of person that didn't want to miss the beginning of an event or something considered to being important. A number of the other participants in the tournament saw Lei Fang before passing by on their way out the automatic sliding doors and greeted her with a friendly wave and smile while others just turned their noses up disdainfully.

Kasumi finally emerged from the elevator clad in a red and extremely tight full body uniform with arm and shin guards cuffed to her legs and upper limbs. She eyed her Chinese friend sitting in the comfy chair and strolled into the lobby. After rubbing Lei Fang lightly on the shoulder to bring her attention away from the clock, Kasumi smiled.

"Sorry it took me so long. I wasn't satisfied with my combat attire and was in need of change," she forgivingly explained, hoping Lei Fang was not upset with her.

Lei Fang glared at the battle suit and gave a look of approval. The costume was flashy, stylish, and intimidating to say the least. She thought it was more pleasing to the eye than the other everyone else's attire.

"That's nice. I like it better than your old one."

"Thanks," Kasumi replied, bashfully. "I got a lot of complements from people in the hallway. Well, should we go now?"

"Sure."

They both walked out of the luxurious building together and headed on over to the fighting arena. It was quite noisy when they arrived and they could barley hear themselves talk with all the loud commotion going on. Chants and boos flew back and forth like a series of tidal waves brushing across the ocean. Kasumi showed interest in wanting to know what all the noise effects were all about and dashed forward ahead of Lei Fang. Below the barricades she saw a proud Jann Lee standing in the center of the ring with his arm raised in triumph after defeating yet another fighter. His opponent appeared to be knocked out completely and was numb from head to toe, not moving a single ligament. When Lei Fang reached the barricade along with Kasumi, she shook her head disapprovingly at what she saw and walked off in the other direction.

Later, the upcoming fight between Zack and Lei Fang was to begin momentarily after a sudden brief intermission. Lei Fang practiced some of her moves by the entryway for a good warm-up, while Kasumi stretched and meditated in preparation for her upcoming match.

Before long, the announcer called Lei Fang and Zack to the stadium ring. Kasumi watched as her friend left to go compete and wished her luck for good measure. The crowd whistled and cheered as the Chinese student made her entrance through the swaying curtains. She timidly waved at the fans that were in support of her. The reaction and responses she received were bigger than last year's event.

Zack approached the stage after her, wearing black sparring shorts and a muscle shirt for showing off his defined chest. He stumbled to get into the ring and nearly tripped over the exposed tape laced around his legs and feet. A few people laughed and made fun of him as he danced and posed in front of the camera to show out.

"Uh, sir? The match is this way," said the referee, guiding his attention away from the stationary camera.

Zack quit the showboating and brought his way over to Lei Fang with a compelling smirk. This fight between them wasn't a personal one and he wanted to clear that up before his Asian opponent took things out of proportion.

"Look Lei, I don't want to fight a beautiful woman such as yourself, but I have to. This match isn't a personal quarrel or grudge I have against you, so don't get mad when I beat you, ok? No hard feelings?"

Zack extended his hand out with Lei Fang taking hold and firmly shaking it. She understood what he meant perfectly, but his last words didn't fit quite well with her.

"Sure thing, but beat me? Those are some bold words, don't you think? You haven't even fought me yet," Lei Fang giggled. "I might be a girl, but don't take me lightly."

Those last words were a warning to Zack, but he didn't take them seriously. Usually, he didn't take anything seriously or offensively. He was a fun loving guy always in a good mood. But the fun loving attitude would temporarily vanish when it came time to fight. The match started off with Zack using some very strange and funky movements. His stance seemed weird to some, but it always worked best for him. Rather than appearing serious, he appeared to be enjoying himself as he grinned bobbing his head, legs, and arms around in a dancing motion.

"What the heck is he doing?" some of the fighters and people from the crowd whispered to each other.

His movements even had Lei Fang scratching her head, wondering what he was doing. He looked to be fooling around, like always, but nobody knew he was really warming up for a pounding assault. Quickly, he balled his fingers up together into a fist and swung a jab at Lei Fang, wanting to make the first hit. Immediately she caught his arm, but didn't realize it was used as a distraction to throw her off guard of what he really had in store.

Zack readied his energetic legs and multiple times kicked Lei Fang in the side of her hips below the waist. Her hand released his arm as she used it to cover herself after the inducing pain just felt. Zack's kicks were dangerous and were known to be very lethal if on the offensive. His legs were frequently his close and reliable allies in battle.

To add more inducing pain to Lei Fang's body, he delivered a sharp snapping kick that struck above her rib area. The Asian female cringed over and stumped down to one knee.

"Get up, Lei Fang," Kasumi whispered from outside the ring.

Zack had Lei Fang hurt but there was still a lot required to put her away for good. He grasped her head in hand and plowed her face into the concrete slabs the ring was made entirely of and kicked her on the side of the neck. She lied on the floor dazed, trying to get back up as the referee began the count. Her body felt sore, but was willing to continue once she got up.

Zack thought another set of multi kicks would do the trick of punishing her and readied his legs again. He struck Lei Fang in the hip once again but was not so fortunate when initiating the strike a second time after she deflected it with a low counter. His leg paused, unable to do anything while in her grasp. She shoved it out of the way, took one hand and pressed her fingers together all at once, and drove them straight into Zack's torso. Her long, sharp nails pricked his bare flesh and left a scratch mark that was highly noticeable. She spun around the other way and rammed her bended elbow into his stomach and took him down with a hard clothesline that laid him out on the floor.

Zack sat up from his grounded position and grabbed Lei Fang by the legs to restrict her from moving. He scooped the girl off her feet and was looking to do a quick body slam, but Lei Fang's sharp heels rotated their way into the American's exposed chin and loosened his grip. Covering his face from the agony, Zack backed away trying to regroup, but his opponent went right into following him.

"Damn, now I see why she wears those shoes," Zack hissed.

Lei Fang, without delay, approached her eluding adversary and launched one foot into the air while the other did the same into a snapping double kick. Her feet connected with Zack's forehead and sent him sliding into the patch of dirt outside the ring. Another count by the referee started, only making it to four seconds before Zack was on his feet.

He jumped back into the fighting circle and caught Lei Fang with a gut-wrenching uppercut. His legs prepared to go on the offensive again and attack the college student full force with a multiple kicking attack that would guarantee her defeat. He raised his taped feet up into a bending motion and brought together all the strength needed for the assault. In one swift setting, he swung his leg at Lei Fang's hip, but wounded up hitting her arms instead that she used as a guard. She deliberately saw his attack coming and countered the next wave by grabbing hold of his foot and flipping him over and ending it with a stomp to the chest.

The referee began the count another time, and it looked like Zack was going to make it to his feet again, but he surprised everybody when he coughed and collapsed in the middle of the ring floor. Once the count reached ten, Lei Fang's hand was raised victoriously. Immediately she went to go check on Zack and his condition after winning.

"Zack! Are you ok?" She said helping him up.

Zack's eyes were rolling around like a couple of marbles behind his dark tented glasses. It took a few seconds for his vision to clear, before he realized where he was.

"Oh man. I lost!" he groaned in disappointment.

"Don't worry about it, Zack. You still did great, you almost had me," Lei Fang said, trying to make him feel better.

"Well…thanks."

Her words of encouragement were pleasing to hear, but Zack, however, was still sore over his loss. His goal of winning the tournament was now crushed by one of the girls he was attracted to.

Unknown to both Lei Fang and Zack, a speeding attacker dashed into the ring. He targeted Zack from his backside and immediately punched him in the back of his skull. The black American fell to his knees and turned over only to have his ribs stomped by Jann Lee's red tennis shoes.

"Hey! Stop! That's enough, he can't defend himself anymore!" Lei Fang cried.

Jann brushed Zack's lifeless body out of the ring and ejected saliva straight from his mouth onto the losing combatant's back. He directed himself towards Lei Fang and smiled.

"He's history, and you will be soon. Get out of my ring, my match is next and your taking up space!" Jann sniffed.

Lei Fang balled both her hands together and paced up to her rival in an angry manner. She thought it was unfair and unnecessary to kick a man when he was down.

"Jerk! I can't stomach you any longer!" she said, raising her fist up to punch off Jann Lee's cocky grin.

"What are you going to do, little girl?" The spiky haired male chuckled, while bringing his face closer to Lei Fang's.

Now was the chance to strike Jann Lee and give what no body else had managed to give him, but Lei Fang lowered her fist and thought hitting him wasn't the answer.

"Your not worth it," she snorted, walking away.

Lei Fang stepped out of the ring and smoothed out the wrinkles in her flowing skirt, retreating to the entryway. There was no point in fighting and hitting him would have been exactly what he wanted, and she was not going to give that to him.

"That's right, coward. Walk away from me!" Jann boomed as she walked up the ramp.

The crowd was eager to see Jann get pummeled by somebody. They were sick of his cocky evil persona, and upset that he was still a survivor in the Tournament. But no matter how they felt, Jann continued to climb the ladder of success. If he continued on his winning streak, he would be crowned the winner and defeat all that stood in his way and prevented him from reaching the top, a goal he promised to accomplish.

* * *

**Scrooge**: I like how the story has been coming together. The mood between the two main characters are becoming more intense. I especially like the mirror scene.

And I like how Zack was added to make it more entertaining, (to a humor extent). Can't wait to see what happens.

Oh will we hear from Hitomi again? 

**Thunder's reply:** Thanks. That's the kind of speculation from a person I was hoping for with the mirror scene. Glad you noticed. I'll be reading your story soon. Thanks for your review.

* * *

**Gleeful Melancholy**: Hey.

Your detail is getting better and better, I can really see everything happening now. I like how you give us insight into the character's thoughts, which is something good writers should do anyway, and something I haven't mastered yet. Thanks for taking the time to consider my opinions about Kasumi, I kinda saw that in the first paragraph!

I also like the comraderie between Kasumi and Lei Fang. It's really sweet, and though I never saw them as close, very believable.

And ZACK::squeals: You know me! Why do you think I write about him so much! If he's there, I'm there! Can't wait to see him more often. :turns off fangirl mode:

Nice one  
Glee 

**Thunder's reply:** Thanks. I think its important that everyone knows how the character feels and thinks in the situation their in. It really pulls you and makes you feel bad or good for them depending on what's happening. Your welcome for the Kasumi part. I thought it over and figured that mistake should be corrected. Nice to see that you noticed it in the first paragraph, I was hoping you would.

I never see people make Kasumi a friend of Lei Fang's so I added the two in as having a strong friendly relationship. I knew you'd like Zack being in there. I thought he'd make a good oppenant for Lei Fang. Anyway, thanks for your review and I hope to read the next chapter of your story soon.


	10. Chapter 10

The roster of fighters was decreasing as more people were beaten and knocked off the brackets. Only four participants remained, that being of Kasumi, Lei Fang, Ayane, and of course Jann Lee. These four individuals had overcome the other fighters after suffering minor pains and aches, reaching their way to the finals. Day four was the last and final day of the competition when the Tournament would finally draw to a close and crown a winner. The last approaching battles would certainly be the most violent and intense yet.

Now that day three was finally over, Kasumi and Lei Fang thought it would be best to proceed and visit their injured friend Hitomi in the hospital. At the beginning of the day she made a request to see both of them, and they gladly agreed to come visit. Upon walking into the white walled bedroom, Hitomi, while bedridden, greeted them with a gentle wave. Her lacking strength made it difficult to sit up, so instead Lei Fang and Kasumi sat over by the bedside in the direction her head was facing. This was a sad moment for the young half German, who looked to be in such bad shape. Her voice could only carry a soft whisper and her body remained restricted to the bed, unable to move.

"I'm glad you guys came," she said, mildly.

"I told you we'd both come see you," Kasumi noted.

Lei Fang didn't speak and just kept her eyes locked on her injured friend's motionless body. By no means did she ever see Hitomi like this before, and experiencing it for the first time was truly devastating.

"Lei Fang, how are you doing in the Tournament?" the German teenager asked, whispering weakly.

Lei Fang scooted closer on the bed and finally spoke her first sentence since being inside the hospital.

"I'm doing great. We're in the finals now," she said, apathetically.

Hitomi smiled gratefully, for she knew such a thing was bound to happen anyway. It made her proud that at least her friends made it to the finals. Following that, she slowly reached over and patted the side of Lei Fang's healthy conditioned legs to congratulate her.

The Chinese student barely made coordinating eye contact with her injured friend, choosing to face the other direction in regret. It was by then Hitomi suspected something was troubling her.

"Lei, I can tell something's bothering you. Your eyes are telling me something you are not. What is it?"

Lei Fang saw no use in hiding it anymore. She was too obvious to hide anything, even from her friends. The sadness in her eyes, quiet voice tone, and pouting lips were all too noticeable to ignore.

"I can't stand seeing you like this. You are only here because of Jann Lee. It pains me to see you constrained to a bed."

"Lei Fang….." Hitomi murmured, before she was cut off.

"No! I'm right and you know it! This is his fault and if anyone should be laid up in a hospital bed it should be him!"

Saddened tears poured from Lei Fang's closed eyelids, soaking into the thick blankets. This struck her worse than anything else before. Jann Lee was the reason behind Hitomi's injuries. His ungrateful actions were held accountable for the damages and wounds that he gave not only to her, but to the other competitors as well. He had hospitalized dozens of people in the Tournament, persuading others to quit, and this was all done because of his hate for another human being that dealt a crippling blow to his awesome winning streak. This personal dilemma he was constantly pushing to get others involved in was sickening. It was time someone taught him a lesson and Lei Fang believed that time would start tomorrow.

"Please be careful when fighting Jann Lee," Hitomi pleaded. "He wants to harm you more than anything."

"I don't need to be careful, if anyone should be careful it should be Jann Lee," Lei Fang said boldly.

"Don't get too cocky, now," Kasumi thought to herself, silently.

"I can tell you improved so much from before, but you have to be on your guard at all times. Do not be careless like me. Carelessness and overconfidence got the best of me, and I lost. Don't let it get the best of you, Lei Fang."

Hitomi then snuggled underneath the blankets. Her eyes were becoming drowsy, letting her friends know it was time for her to rest. Not becoming a bother, the two redirected themselves outside, waving goodbye to the sleeping half German.

"We better go," said Kasumi, suggestively.

"Ok."

**

* * *

The Final Day**

In addition to leaving, Lei Fang took one last and final look at Hitomi as she slept comfortably in bed.

Jann Lee awakened from his messy bedside, flashing open the blinding curtains and bringing forth the sun's bright rays into the darkness of his hotel room. He put on a pair of pants that ended above his ankles, and a white buttoned up shirt.

This was it, the day he had been speaking of for monthes to come. It had been a yearlong wait, but he felt it was well worth it. He walked out of his room, meeting Shen in the hallway by the opening elevator.

"Its time," he whispered to his trainer, stepping through the sliding doors.

Jann Lee's face looked as cold as ice. His eyes burning holes through the walls he gazed upon, with Lei Fang looming around in his thoughts. One would think he'd be excited for this day to come and he was, but didn't do as much to show it.

Three of the four remaining participants arrived at the stadium, taking ganders at their names on the bracket board. Ayane saw her name posted next to Jann Lee's, and both Lei Fang and Kasumi found out they would be facing each other. Of course it didn't come as a shock, for they understood they were destined to fight against one another sooner or later. Whether one conquered over the other, it did not matter. Their friendship would forever remain intact despite whosoever picked up the victory.

The first match of the finals would take place against Jann Lee and Ayane. Ayane hoofed into the ring and stood alone in wait. The doors of the stage entrance slid open, but the young dragon did not make an appearance. Lei Fang and Kasumi patiently watched from the barricades in confusion.

Thirty seconds had gone by and there was still no sign of Jann Lee. The crowd started to become rowdy and demanded to see a show. Suddenly, Lei Fang grunted and slanted her eyebrows in reaction to hearing the sounds of pounding footsteps coming to the outside from the entrance.

Jann's stern face appeared from the shadows with Shen by his side. He received massive boos from each side and all around the stadium. His attention was mostly centered on Ayane, but he halted his moments and eased his head towards Lei Fang by the barricades. There was no apparent smile on his face this time, only a look of displeasure. The boiling tension between the two as they traded glares was rising and Kasumi could feel it growing even thicker as she saw the angered look in her soon to be opponent's face.

Jann Lee finally ended his stare and made his way into the ring. Ayane was now the main focus of attention, and she wanted to ensure that. She stepped forward meeting only at his chest because of his height length. The redness of her eyes brightened themselves into a fiery blaze, as did Jann's.

Both fighters refused to speak, heading into their traditional fighting stances. The crowd went into silence in anticipation to see who would attack first. Ayane quickly ducked low and swept her legs into Jann's. He slightly tripped and brought himself up to throw a jab at his speedy opponent as soon as she recovered from the ground. She cart wheeled to the side and avoided his fist from touching her.

Jann then threw a furious barrage of stringing punches that caught Ayane as she fluttered backwards. He knew he had the ninja where he wanted and struck her in the abdomen with a snapping kick to slow down her mobility. Her head tucked in against her chest, and her legs slumped down sluggishly. Jann Lee didn't stop there and was evidently looking inflicting more damage. He continued his assault and pounded Ayane furiously, knocking her senseless, releasing a horde of punches aimed for her entire upper body.


	11. Chapter 11

Five minutes into the match, Jann Lee seemed to be having fun at the expense of neutralizing every one of Ayane's attacks. His movements were unpredictable, always mixing his techniques up into something different each time. Ayane would generally use swift speed and agility to confuse her opponent, but somehow Jann's speed was on par with hers, enabling him to keep up with her. His trainer Shen soon expressed great frustration and often shouted frequently at him to finish the ninja off and stop toying around.

"All right Jann, enough kidding around. Finish her, now! He shouted"

Jann purposely ignored Shen's words and continued to do as pleased. To him, the match would be soon over when he was ready to end it.

"I thought I gave you an order, Jann Lee. You finish this fight, now!"

Jann Lee's eyes then drifted off Ayane and focused on Shen. It would seem the two were having a disagreement with one another. Jann wanted to continue having his fun with Ayane, but Shen pointed Jann Lee to the real reason he entered the Tournament. This was all about Lei Fang, not the purple haired ninja that was breathing rationally in front of him. After awhile, the yelling began to bother Jann and disrupt him from the fight. Slowly he rotated his head, clinching the bottom half of his teeth.

"Shut up! I know what the deal is old man, I haven't forgotten! He barked in annoyance.

"How dare you speak to me like that?" hissed an angry Shen. "You better keep in mind, it was me that put you where you are right now!"

Shen immediately scratched his head in wonder as to why Jann would have such a violent outburst.

"That's strange," he thought. "He isn't supposed to talk to me that way. The Kagai must not have taken full control over his mind and body yet. Hopefully by the time he fights in his next match he should be much easier to manipulate."

Jann Lee competently retraced his eyes right back on Ayane, and was greeted by the head of her foot, which kicked him backwards. After making a few stumbles, he recovered and landed a couple of jolting blows to her ribs in return. She tried desperately to attack before another strike was landed, but it was too late to make any sudden movements, for Jann's bruising fists collided with the side of her face.

Ayane crashed into the ground and used every bit of strength she had left to stand. Her knees, now weak and numb, wobbled as she stood up from the floor, heading into a blocking stance. Jann's elongated legs stepped backward a couple steps, his arms moving around in a constant swaying motion. He dashed forward, screeching his infamous battle cry before concluding the attack. With a big leap, he snap kicked Ayane out of the ring. He could see her glove-covered hands gripping on the outer edges of the grounded concrete to reach and climb back in, but they suddenly stopped and remained still.

The count was started, and Jann waited patiently to see if his foe would get up again. After reaching ten, the referee raised his arm up. Ayane was now defeated and out of the Tournament. After witnessing the fight was over, Lei Fang and Kasumi immediately came into the ring next, following the ending of the previous match. Jann's eyes refused to make contact with either fighter as he left the ring furiously, with his attention aimed only on his trainer.

"There. The match is done," Jann grunted.

"Gladly. Its about time you came to your senses and realize what your really after .Lei Fang should be your only main concern," said Shen.

Lei Fang and Kasumi stood separated away from each other on the outer regions of the ring. Now it was time for their fight, but neither appeared ready to start fighting just yet. An exchange of words was in order before anything got underway.

"Well, this is it," said Kasumi with a convenient grin.

"Yep. Sure looks like it," Lei Fang replied, smiling back.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you."

"I don't expect you to. I wouldn't want that anyway, Kasumi."

"Good, if you want to get to Jann you'll have to go through me first in order to do so."

"Sounds good to me."

The two fighters prepped themselves for battle and wiped the proud smiles from their faces into more contemplative expressions. Both circled around the ring, keeping their distance and being cautious of each other's movements. Kasumi spaced her hands and legs apart a few inches away and broke into her fighting stance. Lei Fang followed suit and moved her arms around in a circular motion into her fighting stance.

Kasumi's hair had been untied from its usual ponytail and hung down, draping past her ears and shoulders. This meant she was going to be very aggressive and use all her abilities to the fullest.

Lei Fang also made certain Kasumi knew she wasn't fooling around either and brought one foot out in front while the other dragged itself backwards until it became idle. With their attitudes and minds in focus, the two friends facing off against each other shifted their weight forward and charged at full speed. When their bodies drew closer into a near touch, Kasumi vanished, leaving a swirl of floating flower pedals.

Lei Fang decreased her speed into a slow trot before stopping herself. Her eyes wandered all over the ring alarmingly, searching for the vanished ninja. Suddenly, Kasumi reappeared from behind and harshly nudged the bone of her elbow into Lei Fang's backside. The classy teenager fell and dropped to her knees, her face kissing the rocky concrete surface of the ring floor.

When she could stand up again, Kasumi had gone airborne, falling from the sky with both of her feet pointing diagonally. The bottom of her sandals kicked Lei Fang's chest and vaulted her backwards. Kasumi saw her opponent staggering, tripping over her own feet. This now a good time to take advantage and induce more damage. She quickly went airborne again and clamped her legs around Lei Fang's neck into a tight firm choke before bending all her weight backwards into a flip. A loud thud shook up the ground after the two had crashed into the floor. Kasumi sat up and skipped backwards, vanishing again.

Lei Fang, after regaining a few seconds of rest, wearily shot up and went into a guarding stance to avoid another surprise attack from her speedy foe. Kasumi zipped around her at blazing speed, appearing in one spot than reappearing in another. Seconds later, Lei Fang saw herself surrounded by several running Kasumis. Her eyes ran from side to side, following their patterns as she conjured up a plan.

Finally, the Kasumis put a stop to their running and charged at Lei Fang, swarming her with a barrage of punches and kicks. Lei Fang shielded herself with her arms for protection, but Kasumi easily broke through the concealing barrier and knocked her around like a piñata. The relentless assault ended with a roundhouse kick that lashed across the middle of Lei Fang's stomach. Her body flipped backwards, landing face first in the dirt.

The referee started his count, as Lei Fang lied motionless. It was painful for Kasumi to have to do that to her friend, but this was a competition after all. It didn't matter who you fought, everyone was your enemy whether they be a real life friend or not.

As the count neared seven, Lei Fang's head drudged back up a little and gazed at the stage entrance. She could see Jann watching her narrowly, his eyes refusing to blink and miss any of the action. He was the one responsible for convincing her to join this Tournament. She couldn't just lose after coming so far. It was at that moment Lei Fang would summon all the strength in her body to stand up and continue. The crowd was amazed that she was still able to compete. They applauded and cheered to see the match go even further.

Witnessing the crowds strong reaction, Kasumi made a few back flips with Lei Fang following her to the edge of the ring. Kasumi was looking to lure her opponent into another painful assault, but when she halted her flipping and went into jabbing that was when Lei Fang caught her arms and held them into a tight squeeze. Kasumi wildly swung her feet around, hoping to kick her smiling friend off of her, but Lei Fang tilted her head from side to side, avoiding contact with the heel of the ninja's sandaled feet.

After thrusting up another couple of kicks, both Kasumi's feet were captured by Lei Fang's arms and pulled into her chest. Kasumi, unable to use her arms or legs, fell backward and hit the floor, but after she took a plunge, the Chinese fighter was still gripping her feet. She was then brought back up and driven back into the cement after Lei Fang whipped her into the air by the foot and sent her crashing back down. Jann Lee and Shen watched in amusement from the barricade, loving every minute of seeing the two friends fight each other.

Meanwhile, Kasumi's body was laid still on the ring floor, leaving a slight marking of her backside in the rugged concrete. Lei Fang sat in front of her, down on both knees, panting uncontrollably.

There was a brief momentary silence that spread out around the arena. The crowd edged their eyes closer to try and get a view and see if Kasumi was moving or not. Her eyelids stayed closed with her arms spaced out wide to the sides. The referee began counting as Lei Fang rolled herself back up until her two feet were able to stand again.

**

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Author's notes to the reviewers kuzuryuzen08, James Hanson, and Seekerofrarepairings**

**(This goes out to the following users. Ok, first off, I do not have anything against Jann Lee. I'm not using this story to criticize or show a dislike for him. I really have no problem with him at all. I ask that the Jann Lee fans not take offense to this fic. I have another fic in the works coming up after this one, and Jann Lee will be in it, but in a different role. This is really just something I wanted to write about and have fun with. I do not display a grudge against a certain character or characters in any of my stories. If you are offended, please accept my apologies.**

**This story will continue as planned and I will not change anything or spoil what will happen. If you're interested, keep reading and do as if this whole ordeal had never happened.**

**Also, please refrain from spamming my review list. I do not like to receive emails for one of my stories thinking it's a review but then find out its really just a paragraph written to attack or insult another user who posted something in response to what another user wrote. If I get anymore of those they will be deleted immediately.)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's notes:** _**Whoa, sorry for the late update. If you havent seen the last chapter, please do before viewing this one. I also address that this story isnt meant to bash Jann Lee or show a dislike for the guy. I have no problem with him or the other fighters of DOA. The story will not be alterted and will go accordingly to the way I have planned it out since the beginning. Please refrain from spamming the reviews with insults directed towards other users. I really don't like to have an email sent to me and discover it has nothing to do with my story, and is only meant to take a jab at another person. This story is just built for fun, nothing more. Not trying to be mean, just making a statement. Now, on with the chapter.**_

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Another count was initiated by the referee's gruff voice, nearly reaching eight, so close to ten, but Kasumi bounced up from the web shaped cracks made in the ring floor, ready, coming back into Lei Fang's territory at full speed. Witnessing this, Lei Fang felt foolish, thinking she had put Kasumi out of commission for good. The speedy ninja revealed she still had some juice left and was coming at her friend with everything. 

Lei Fang blocked a thudding elbow with her hands being pressed close to her face by the force of Kasumi's arm trying to press through. Speed was Kasumi's key to victory, an advantage she held over Lei Fang, and one that she was putting to good use. Some of her attacks came from the air and others came low from the ground, unpredictably.

Lei Fang managed to catch one attack and counter it with a blow to the back of Kasumi's head that sent her to her sagging knees. Shifting her weight back into a backward cartwheel, Lei Fang's feet flung upward and kicked across Kasumi's hanging chin. A few watchers in the crowd laughed as they could see up Lei Fang's skirt as she performed the acrobatic maneuver. But that didn't matter to her. Kasumi was taking damage and that was most important.

Both fighters were pulling out a few tricks they thought the other would not anticipate and even saving some for later if they felt they needed to, just to keep some in reserve. Kasumi rubbed the small cut she got from Lei Fang on her chin, checking for signs of blood. It was ok though. Her face wasn't bleeding, and even if it were it wouldn't stop her from fighting.

"This match is mine!" Kasumi shouted, dashing toward Lei Fang, her hair withdrawing behind her ears.

"I don't think so!" Lei Fang said, belting forward.

Their bodies came into close contact, but Kasumi did a high jump into the sky that stopped Lei Fang from touching her. The crowd looked up into the air to see Kasumi descending downward, sticking her feet out into a missile kick. Lei Fang anticipated this move. She knew there was a chance Kasumi would try to do it again. This attack was aimed directly to hit Lei Fang's upper body section.

Stepping back and readying up for a high counter, Lei Fang waited for Kasumi to land closer to the ring. Seconds passed and Kasumi was closer than ever, but a surprise turn of events shattered Lei Fang's plan. Kasumi shifted her legs down swiftly and notified Lei Fang that the attack was now aimed for her lower mid section. It was too late to change the counter, and Lei Fang found herself getting knocked backward.

Kasumi had tricked her, playing games with Lei Fang to make her think she would do the same exact attack again after having abused it so many times during the match. It was the same attack but modified to hit another location on the body.

A burning pain hit Lei Fang's stomach as she was laid outside the ring. Her eyes were aimed toward the sky, trying to regain the sight they had lost temporarily. She felt woozy, wanting to throw up after taking such a devastating blow. It was like an angry mule had kicked her right in the stomach.

In the ring, Kasumi stood with her arms crossed, waiting to see if her friend would either get up again or decide she had enough and admit defeat. Lei Fang, of course, wasn't going to quit, not for Kasumi, not for anybody. She rose up from the outside floors and came back in for another try at Kasumi.

With a confident wave, she dared Kasumi to come near her, which she did. But the moment Kasumi came close enough she started eating foot again with Lei Fang's backward cartwheel. Kasumi stood stunned for a short second, allowing Lei Fang to spin around and nail her right in the face with a stiff kick before turning around and knocking her down with a backhand. Kasumi got up and charged. Lei Fang was ready and raised her arm up over Kasumi's head, and lowered it when she passed by and back elbowed the ninja on her stomach before ending the attack with a stomp.

The referee started the count again and he could see Kasumi moving slowly to get up, but then, she fell back down and crashed into the dirt. She wanted to get up again, but the damage she had taken was too overwhelming to rise up from, feeling the bruises everywhere on her body. The count was close to nine and Kasumi still couldn't lift her legs to stand up. Seconds later it was over, and Lei Fang had won the match as the declared victor.

To help her friend, she brought Kasumi up from the floor and shared a sporting hug while sitting on her knees.

"You ok?" she said with concern.

"I'll be fine. These wounds are nothing compared to the other battles I've been in. Thanks for the match. Now go get Jann Lee, ok?"

"I won't let you down," Lei Fang replied, reassuringly.

Four hours had passed with Lei Fang still suffering from some of the bruises she received from Kasumi. It didn't seem like enough time to recuperate for a match like the one earlier, but this was the final day of the Tournament so it was understandable, but still seemed unfair. Lei Fang waited in the ring alone, her blood constantly rushing through her veins to eagerly see her last and final opponent, a man with a mission, a man that was looking to permanently disable her life and reputation.

Kasumi and some of the participants that lost earlier stayed to watch, getting a good view from the barricades. Even though they had lost, they were interested to see the final outcome of the Tournament. Some were betting for Jann to win with others betting for Lei Fang to climb the mountain and snatch the gold as winner of the Tournament. No one knew who would be the victor for sure, but they knew as soon as these two stepped in the ring, it was going to be a great show to watch.

Storm clouds hovered above the ring and crowd, crackling thunder through the sky. This was the match, the moment Lei Fang and everyone else had been waiting for, the rematch between her and Jann Lee. She was not scared nor excited, just calm, waiting for the young man to step through the stage entrance and disclose himself.

With a crackle of loud booming thunder, Jann Lee's face appeared from the shadows of the stage, his face no longer baring a confident sadistic smile. He appeared serious, just like Lei Fang, while ripping the white shirt off his body bit by bit with each button popping off until the bare flesh of his upper body was exposed. It seemed like Lei Fang was miles away in the ring because of his anticipation to reach her. Shen, of course, accompanied his proud new student to the fighting square, and as they stepped in, Lei Fang paced quickly toward Jann Lee, remembering the horrible things he had done since his weird attitude change: the constant death threats, hospitalizing Hitomi, knocking Zack out the ring while he was hurt, and nearly injuring all the Tournament entrees and frightening the rest to pull out of the competition.

His foot stepped into the ring along with the other and met Lei Fang face to face by the pointed edge, her face boiling with heated anger. Seeing his opponent like this, Jann smiled and lightly patted Lei Fang on the head as if she were some little cute child pretending to be tough. But Lei Fang wasn't pretending and harshly slapped Jann Lee's patting hand away, still locked in her angry gaze.

"I've been waiting for this a long time," Jann Lee snorted, looking down at her.

"So have I," Lei Fang added.

"Don't whine if I crush you too hard."

Jann noted Lei Fang's still expression, sending him some sort of message.

"Grrrr…..you don't think you'll win do you?" he growled.

"I see it as a possibility. Things can happen as long as anyone puts their mind to it."

The two moved closer into the center of the ring, staying close, not retracing their eyes away from each other. The referee signaled for the fight to begin with the ring of a bell, but neither fighter moved an inch of their body. Jann and Lei Fang were still fixed in their glaring stares. An impatient crowd became angry, shouting at both of them to throw a strike, but they ignored the crowd's pleas and demands.

Rain poured from the cloudy sky, drenching both them and the crowd in wetness. The weather's timing was bad, but this wasn't going to deter the match, and if it did, Jann and Lei Fang would still fight regardless. This rivalry between team had gone far enough. It was time to put a stop to it once and for all. If Jann Lee were to lose again, he didn't know what he would do. As for Lei Fang, there was something more to lose in this fight than what Jann Lee had and that was her life. A loss bestowing on her would equal automatic death, something Jann Lee promised to fulfill by the end of the Tournament.

Suddenly, a minute into the stare off, Jann Lee threw a punch, expecting it to knock Lei Fang off her feet, but she surprisingly blocked it and smacked it away as if it were a fly. Jann Lee didn't appreciate that and threw another swing of the fist, but Lei Fang blocked it again and shooed it away.

"Well, I can see your blocking has become much more accurate this time around. But don't think two lousy punches is all your going to get."

"Quit talking, Jann, and fight!" Lei Fang wittily demanded.

Jann Lee moved back, throwing his concentration into place, inhaling and exhaling deeply, drawing in the energy that surged within him. Quickly, he shot at Lei Fang with a blaze of punches. This time he managed to catch her with a few blows as she started to cover up and kneel down. He grabbed hold of her head with one arm and used the other to summon a ball of strength to knock her in the noggin. Letting go of his opponent after he pounded her, Jann Lee pushed her to the floor and stomped the bottom of his shoe into her face, screaming out in his frequent battle cry.

A count was started, but Jann interrupted it and yanked Lei Fang off the ground to do even more heavy damage. He beat her in the same exact way he beat Hitomi, smacking her senseless with the back of his hands before pounding her with heavy punches. Lei Fang's head bounced in different directions from the strikes she was being pelted with. She felt Jann's strength had improved greatly with every smack his hand made with her face. If she didn't do something quick, it could be all over for her.

Seeing Jann's next slap coming toward her, Lei Fang caught his arm and yanked it hard so his body would come falling into her raised knee. Jann bent over from the blow to the midsection but shook it off, and punched Lei Fang in the stomach. He moved behind her as she bent over and slipped his arms underneath her armpits into a full nelson submission hold. Lei Fang tried to break out, but Jann increased the pressure, holding her much tighter than before. Lei Fang screamed as she could feel the stiff pain in her back. She never encountered a full nelson before and wasn't sure how to pry out of it.

"What's wrong, little girl? Are you feeling angry? Are you feeling humiliated? Is that it? Jann barked in her ear. What's that? Have nothing to say? Of course you wouldn't because you DON'T…..KNOW…..WHAT….HUMILATION… IS!" He screamed, as he rammed his knee into her lower back each time individually with every single word.

"That's it! Teach the girl! Teach her to suffer like you did!" Shen cheered from outside the ring, grinning a smile of appreciation.

Lei Fang could feel the strength in her fading, her legs coming to kneel down on the floor. Although she was in pain, she couldn't help but bring up a smile, a smile of confidence.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's notes :Thunder is back with a vengence! Yeah, I know that sounded lame. Anyway, enjoy! **

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The heavy sprinkles of rain pouring from the cloudy sky soaked everyone and everything in dripping wetness as Lei Fang could feel her blue dress sticking to her skin and Jann's breath moving close to the left of her ear. His full-nelson hold remained locked in as he began to taunt his rival. 

"What's the matter, Lei Fang? You don't sound too happy," he croaked. "Is this the part where you start to cry? Is this the part where you submit and admit defeat? Because if it is, say it! Say it so everyone can hear you!"

Lei Fang stayed intentionally silent toward Jann, indulging in a strategy to breakaway from his clutching grasp. Down on both knees she sat as the pressure dug even farther into her spine. Echoed screams ran wild throughout the stadium, eclipsed by the rapid booms of thunder tearing across the sky. Jann Lee kept his smiles concealed, as he was getting pleasure from hearing the sound of his opponent's agonizing cries. The result of the match was in his favor at the moment, but there was a chance for the tables to turn and defect over to Lei Fang's side.

Thriving in horrific pain, she tuned out Jann's taunts for a slight moment and rose to her feet to stand. Lifting her leg up slightly, she drove her foot backward into the cap of Jann's knee. A light squeak was heard running from his throat. She could easily verify that it bothered him and continued to kick even harder. Jann groaned as the back of her sharp heels ran against his legs. She could soon feel his grip loosening with every landing blow. Again, she kicked her opponent, and finally, turning her loose, he let go. He held onto his leg and tried to suppress the screams critically wanting to exhale from his mouth through his clinched teeth. Lei Fang stepped back and rotated her arms in the air with a smile of success. Jann Lee reached and touched the small cuts on his skin, rubbing them, examining his hurt leg while glaring angrily at Lei Fang with extreme hatred boiling in the fiery pupils of his eyes. He checked for blood, finding a small strip of red liquid leaking out of him. He was mad, but also smiling at the same time. From his reaction, Lei Fang's eyebrows rose in suspicion in wonderment of what the expression on his face meant.

"I'm not bleeding too much," he smirked. "Those heels of yours are pretty dangerous…. but then again, so am I!"

"Lets do this Jann, I don't have all night," Lei Fang said. "I don't need to hear more of your whining."

"No. What you need, I can give you. You're in need of a quick beating. Time to wipe that smug look off your pretty little face, now."

Jann Lee and Lei Fang pushed themselves forward and unleashed a flurry of attacks toward each other. Jann Lee's lightning quick fists plowed into the belly of Lei Fang as she launched a few palm punches of her own into Jann's ripped chest. A great massive war of attacks was at work, hitting, returning, and even being countered by the two as neither side refused to back down from the other. With every hit landed, the lightning would strike violently, perfectly in sync with the staggering blows.

The crowd applauded the intense battle, but neither fighter could hear their claps through mixing storm of punches and kicks they exchanged with one another. Kasumi and the others looked on from the barricades as they were surely impressed with the amount of dedication and determination the two young individuals showed in the ring.

"Look at those two. They both seemed to be enjoying this fight rather well," said Hayate.

"This is more entertaining than pro-wrestling," Zack murmured.

"I agree. Both fighters are doing quite well, but I can't help but sense there's something going on behind the scenes," said Ryu.

"Something troubles you, Ryu?" Asked Kasumi.

"No. Its nothing."

Sights were set back in the ring with Jann Lee swinging punches furiously, and Lei Fang wheeling backward from harms way. Separated and thrown into another stare down, Jann pumped up his muscles before gliding himself toward the other side of the ring to take another swipe at his opponent. He twirled his foot into Lei Fang's leg, tripping and knocking her slightly off balance. When she nearly fell, Jann grabbed hold of her leg, firmly raising it up, and then kicking the other off balance. Lei Fang tripped, but used her hands to catch herself on the floor before making contact with the cement. She rose to her feet, only to meet with Jann Lee's fist half way. Her body flapped backward and hit the ground, skidding her leg against it.

"Come on, Lei Fang. Quit embarrassing yourself. Well, actually, I take that back. You're doing quite fine in that regard," Jann laughed.

Lei Fang stumbled up, panting slowly.

"Its nice to see that you've found a sense of humor. For the past couple of years, I didn't think you had any. But the only funny thing here is what I'm going to do you in a few seconds."

"Bah! You talk big, little girl, but you can't back it up."

"We'll see about that," Lei Fang said in a fighting stance. "So Jann, are you ready to lose?"

"Shut it! I am the winner!"

Jann Lee revved up his battle cry and lunged a fist into Lei Fang's path. Gracefully, she caught a hold of his arm and trip kicked his leg, but Jann refused to go down, and instead, yanked Lei Fang's wrist into an arm drag take down and threw her right back on the floor. To add on to the throw down, he raised his foot high in the air and drove it straight down into the heavy cement toward Lei Fang's head. Cutting it close, she quickly moved just before his foot touched her skin.

"Be still, you! Its not everyday I get to stomp someone's head into the ground."

"And let you mess up my pretty face? Now, Jann, why would I let you do a thing like that?" Lei Fang said, playfully.

Lei Fang skipped around the ring as Jann Lee fired more rounds of blows in her direction. She placed her arms into a curl and bumped her clinched fists into Jann's ribs as he missed with each swing. Angrily, in retaliation, he scooped her right off her feet and made an attempt to drive her head into the floor, but Lei Fang wrapped her legs around his neck in python like fashion and stopped him from doing so. She used the crushing strength of her legs and clamped Jann's head tightly in a clutching hold of her own. Jann's face could be seen changing colors, his supply of oxygen being cut down as Lei Fang's legs choked him.

"You don't look so good, Jann. Maybe you should lay down," Lei Fang cracked, jokingly, as she hung upside down with her legs around his neck.

Hearing that insult, Jann spun around widely in a big circle to break free from his opponent's vice gripping legs. He smashed his fist multiple times into Lei Fang's thighs but her hold wouldn't break, and she continued to stay on him. He whirled around in a circle even faster, soon dizzying both himself and Lei Fang, and before she fell and hit the floor, Jann Lee caught her by the legs, holding her upside down like a hooked fish. A devious smile rolled across Jann's face in reaction to grasping his opponent's legs. Immediately, Lei Fang had a couple ideas of what he was planning to do, but they were all tossed out of her mind when Jann pushed her hanging skirt even further down and exposed her undergarments to the crowd in a provocative manner. Jann snickered as he saw her cheeks glowing bright red with embarrassment. Not stopping there, he spread her legs apart, putting each between his arms, and spun her around the ring constantly, stopping seconds later. Lei Fang was then tossed on the floor, completely dizzy and feeling a bit sick as she used her hands to elevate herself back up.

"Did you enjoy the ride?" Jann laughed.

Lei Fang stumbled to one knee as she gave Jann a frightening glare.

"I can't believe you did that!" she squeaked.

"Aw, did I hurt some bodies feelings?" he said, imitating an apologetic voice.

"You're going to pay for that, Jann."

"Ha! What are you going to do? Hurt me? Well, come on then. Bring it on!"

Jann waved his arms around and smiled, inviting Lei Fang to attack him, and with that, she did. She charged forward, her fists shaking, her eyes searing into balls of flames. Jann Lee stood ready to counter whatever she threw at him, but Lei Fang didn't attack when she got close enough for a clean hit. She quickly dived onto the floor and slid underneath Jann's legs. With a heavy kick, she hit Jann Lee's ribs and smashed her foot into the back of his ankle. The young dragon plopped to his knees, holding his lower region. Lei Fang displayed a heavy smile from her actions and rose up to send another kick toward the front of Jann's throat as he sat still.

"Damn you!" Jann shouted as he fell backward.

"This battle isn't yet over, Jann. Get used to it!" Lei Fang said, stationing herself behind him.

"You got that right, little girl," Jann whispered with a smile.

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_**x-Red Eye-x** - Hey,

Glad to see another chapter up. I love your fight scenes. The detail is fabulous. I like how you set the stage with the weather and everything.

A couple of things though with the technicals...just watch the spelling and capitalization, basic editing.

--Red--

**Thunder's reply**: Thanks. I want people to visualize what's happening, so I put in as much detail as possible. I'll try to work on the spelling and capitalization as best as I can.

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**Sagistar **- hey thunder 

dude you have officially distracted me from my h/w and now my mum is going to kill you lol. wow! you're writing has improved so much since i last read your work! this story is going greatly and i can't wait until you upd8 next! i luv ur use of description and the weather really adds to the mood of each scene.

bibi  
sagi

**Thunder's reply:** Oh, hey there! Havent seen or heard from you in awhile! Thank you so much! I'm glad you noticed how far my writing skills have come since my last story you read. After all, it was you that helped me become a better writer, wheter you believe that or not. I have you to thank for that. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and look forward to the next. Peace.


	14. Chapter 14

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**Author's note **

**_Ah! Here we are. Another chapter has arrived. Enjoy!_  
**

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The loud booms of thunder brewed heavily in the rain pouring sky and exploded into snapping crackles as Jann Lee smashed a crunched fist into Lei Fang's abdomen. She keeled over, but didn't fall without taking her rival down with her. She swung her feet into Jann's standing legs and tripped him just before she hit the floor. His punches were of course damaging and Lei Fang wondered as to how long she could survive taking another hit in the ribs. It was clear Jann Lee was weakening her, draining all of her stamina to soften her up for the final blow that would offer him the much wanted victory. Lei Fang noticed this was Jann Lee's plan as she could see him still moving about like the match had just started, showing no clear signs of tiring. 

Another punch was thrown into her stomach after she tried getting up. Jann Lee was having fun as he galloped with Lei Fang around the ring as she tried to avoid taking another solid hit. As Jann Lee came toward her for a quick strike, Lei Fang quickly caught his hand before it touched her. Still holding it, she jumped kicked the side of his face with the back of her heel and sent him to the floor. It was a damaging counter Kasumi often used during her battles. In the barricades, the female ninja recognized it just as Lei Fang touched back on the floor.

"Ah, using a trick out of my book, huh? You sneaky little devil," she smiled.

Jann Lee stood back up swinging at the air, but was kicked in the stomach and pushed to the floor as Lei Fang appeared from beside him. Not giving him a chance to catch his breath, she went on the offensive and battered him with punches and kicks the moment he sat up. Jann became a little dazed and swung around wildly, hoping to get lucky and hit Lei Fang, but each swing turned into a pathetic miss and he found himself splashing face first into the concrete ring floor.

"What's the matter, Jann? You're getting a little slow on the hits," Lei Fang teased.

Jann Lee lied on the floor for a moment before getting up. He couldn't take Lei Fang poking fun at him any longer. She had beaten him last year, and with that, he wasn't willing to let it happen again a second time in a row, though he felt he could win and defeat her, regardless. As he stood, he saw no sign of his female opponent's whereabouts, that was, until he noticed something grab his arms from behind and pull them backward into a long painful stretch.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Lei Fang giggled.

"You better hold on tight, little one, because as soon as you let go I'm going to really lay on the hurting!" Jann barked.

"Talk, talk, talk. That's all you do, Jann. Here, let me give you yet another firm introducing to the ground."

Lei Fang somersaulted herself over Jann Lee's head while still holding onto his arms. She was, at the moment, standing in front of him, yanking his stretched arms up into the air above her head. With a loud scream that the crowd was able to hear as the thunder quieted down for a minor second, Lei Fang yanked Jann Lee over her back and slammed him onto the floor, but this time the young bouncer's whole body went straight through as it touched the concrete.

The people in the crowd were silent, their eyes widened into puzzling stares with mouths held wide open. Even the competitors that had decided to stay and watch were in shock as Lei Fang had used a large heap of her strength to slam Jann Lee down and create a large hole in the floor.

"Is it over?" said a woman in the crowd.

"Did she win?" said a young boy next to her.

"Whoa! Is that guy going to be alright!" said another woman, with concern in her voice.

Kasumi and the others watched Lei Fang as she fell to her knees, panting. She was semi exhausted, but still able to compete if needed.

"All right Lei Fang!" Zack yelled in a loud cheer. "I knew you could do it, girl!"

Hearing that, the crowd started to applaud as they saw the referee starting his count. If Jann Lee didn't stand up out of the hole before the ten second count, Lei Fang would be declared the winner of the tournament. While the crowd and Zack carried happy expressions, Kasumi, Hayate, Ryu, and even Lei Fang herself appeared to be the only ones not smiling. Zack suddenly turned to see their faces and couldn't figure why they weren't celebrating like everyone else.

"Hey! What's wrong with you guys? Didn't you see how hard Lei Fang slammed him? That guy's going to be hurting for a while," he said, trying to convince them.

"I have a feeling this fight isn't over," Hayate mumbled.

"You feel that too, brother?" Kasumi said, grabbing her sibling's hand.

"Yeah. Same here. I can feel something going on inside the ring," Ryu noted.

"You people are strange," Zack thought. "Why is it so hard to convince ninjas?" He sighed to himself.

Across the arena, a screaming voice in the crowd diverted everyone's attention back to the ring as the thunder quieted again.

"Hey! Look! He's getting up!"

In the ring, Jann Lee could be seen pulling himself out of the hole created by his falling body. Lei Fang and the others knew for sure that he wasn't yet defeated. But as the passionate fighter stepped out from the hole his body, somehow, had downgraded into a slimmer size. His bulbous muscles were gone, no longer noticeable, as was his steely chiseled abs and meaty calves. He was in the form of a skinny man with hardly any strength.

Outside of the ring, a thin smile was on Shen's face as he saw his young pupil bring himself out from the hole. Through the fight so far, he had kept the smile hidden, but released it just as he watched Jann Lee stand on two feet.

Frequent whispers were passed all around the arena from person to person of Jann Lee's deflated body, coming up with their own speculations of what caused his body mass to suddenly decrease.

"What the hell happened to him?" screamed a man from the crowd.

"Holy crap! Jann Lee's an anorexic skeleton!" Zack shouted in a disgusted tone. "Man, Lei Fang must have knocked some of the weight out of him. He looks like a skinny twig with legs and arms attached."

Jann Lee slowly walked over to Lei Fang as she threw up her guard cautiously. She too was disgusted and shocked by his deformed appearance along with the crowd of spectators. She believed another attack was soon coming and he was going to wait till she let her guard down, but Jann Lee didn't throw a single punch nor lash out with a kick when she did in suspicion. All he did was smile and tilt his head to the side.

"You've impressed me, Lei Fang. I can see your skills have improved greatly since last year, that's for sure. Congratulations for working so hard to achieve what you have right now."

"Huh? That's it? Are you submitting?" Lei Fang asked in confusion.

Jann Lee chuckled and shook his head.

"No. But as you've grown stronger in these past months…so have I."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying this is it, Lei Fang. This is the end of the match, the end of the tournament, and…the end of you. You've come so far, but it all ends here, for I hold the key to your fate in the palm of my hands. Prepare yourself, Lei Fang, because now it's over!"


	15. Chapter 15

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**Author's notes: Hey there. Update time again! Goodness I just love writing this story! On with the chapter!**

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Lei Fang perceived Jann's words as only empty threats from a beaten man living in a realm of his own ridiculous fantasy. She believed that he was in no position to make such claims, but when she glared deep into his fiery burning eyes something immediately ran up her spine like a cold shiver. The ground beneath her feet suddenly began to shake like a trembling earthquake, and as she looked up at Jann Lee she could see wrinkles popping up all over his scrawny figure. Monstrous laughter was exhaled from Jann Lee's throat as he bent down and started to glow with a dark swaying aura surrounding him, the exact same aurora Kasumi had seen when she saw him in the woods a while back. 

His rapid ear piercing screams sounded haunting, as if he was being tortured to near death with his skeletal joints popping and bubbling underneath his skin. He appeared to be suffering so much, but yet was actually enjoying the pain and giving Lei Fang the front view of an awkward smile. In seconds, Jann Lee's body began to revert back into its normal state. But not stopping there, his muscles exceeded their usual size and grew inches larger.

The crowd was shocked by what they were witnessing first hand as were the fighters seated behind the barricade. They didn't know what to make of it, and as they watched, Shen and Jann Lee could only laugh at their confusion.

"What the heck is…going on?" Lei Fang shouted, shielding her face up from the eye blinding light being emitted from Jann Lee's glimmering body.

The crowd also shielded themselves to protect their vision from being blinded by the light, as did Kasumi, Zack, Ryu, and Hayate. "What is Jann Lee doing?" Kasumi wondered as she tugged on the sleeve of Ryu's uniform.

"I foresaw this happening. Its just as I thought!" Ryu screamed.

"What are you talking about, Ryu?" Asked Zack.

"You'll see…"

Shortly, the ground beneath the arena trembled even harder and the rain from the sky poured down below even faster. Lei Fang could feel the feet beneath her sliding across the ring toward the outside from the radical winds being generated from her opponent's direction, and before she knew it she was pushed backward, falling to the outside.

Various pillars above the crowd layered around the stadium became unstable and started to break down into large chunks plummeting to the floor. Hundreds of people ran for their lives as they saw the arena beginning to collapse on top of them. The camera crews, fans, and anybody else within the falling stadium were forced to evacuate.

"Head for the hills, she's coming down!" yelled one of the spectators.

Kasumi and the other former participants leaped over the barricade and moved closer to a safer spot, evading the raining hunks of the once large structure.

Within minutes, the entire stadium crumbled into piles of fallen debris. Luckily, everyone that evacuated had managed to make it out safely through the multiple emergency exits before it was too late with only acquiring minor scars and bruises from the fallen rubble. But aside from the people, Kasumi, Zack, Ryu, Hayate, Shen, Lei Fang, and of course Jann Lee stayed their ground.

Finally, the light surrounding Jann Lee died down into a small flicker before disappearing completely. Lei Fang lowered her hands from her face and looked up, seeing what was her rival, transformed into what looked to be a hulking monster. Jann Lee's ripped muscles had expanded tremendously and his height had grown a few inches taller from his normal size. Lines of sparking electricity circled his body with long tattoo markings covering his naked backside, no longer appearing human. As she looked on, Lei Fang could not believe what she was seeing.

"Jann? What's happened to you?"

"This Lei Fang is the full power of the Kagai!" Jann Lee growled, proudly. "I hold ultimate power at my disposal. For days I've been waiting for this moment to show it to you. Remember when I said I was only using but a fraction of what I could really do? Well, you haven't seen anything yet!"

The transformed Jann Lee gave a quick demonstration by striking his foot into the dirt and sending a massive shockwave in Lei Fang's direction. Unable to dodge it in time, she was knocked back into a pile of debris. She struggled to get up as she tried to move out of the wreckage. Jann Lee slowly made his way toward her and smiled as he looked down at his petite opponent.

"Was that too hard? Here, let me help you up."

He wrapped his large hands around Lei Fang's throat, pulling her up from the ground. With great strength, he flung her toward the other direction and watched as she made a loud crash into a patch of dirt.

"Man…. he's strong. Where… did he…. get this kind of power?" Lei Fang said, struggling to speak.

Inches away from the ring, Ryu stood by Kasumi with Hayate and Zack behind him."Its just as I thought," he mumbled.

"Ryu, you must know what's going on! Something I don't. Please, tell me!" Kasumi demanded.

"Yeah fool, tell us," Zack piped.

Ryu cleared his throat before speaking. "This is the work of Kagai," he said.

"Kagai? What's that?"

"The Kagai is an evil Japanese spirit that possess the mind of human beings. After the Kagai possesses a human, all that individual's abilities become dramatically enhanced. Being possessed by such a spirit, a human will experience various negative reactions and emotions to just about anything around them.

"Like what?"

"If you are possessed, you will feel nothing but evil thoughts and commands roll and loom throughout your mind and body, telling you to do things you probably wouldn't want to do. You experience anger, jealousy, and hatred toward just about anything. Trust me, I've dealt with this Kagai before and I know what its capable of."

"Then you mean, this whole time Jann Lee has been used as some kind of puppet?"

"Yes, now all we need to do is find out who's pulling the strings."

A cackling laugh echoed through the wrecked stadium. It was Shen, laughing as he listened to their whole conversation. "a ha! Well, it seems we have a winner here, ladies and gentlemen. Let's give young Ryu here a prize," he joked.

Ryu leered his eyes at Shen.

"Jann Lee is a work of art, my friends. His skills are incredible and should be pushed as far as they can go. A young fighter like him needs someone to teach him and show him the ropes, and I intend to be that teacher!"

"You!" Kasumi hissed. "You're the one behind this, aren't you?"

"Yes, little one, I am. It was Jann Lee's strength and determination that attracted me to him. I believed he could do so much more after the impressive skills he demonstrated during last year's tournament. With the right push, I was able to convince Jann to come back and hire me as his trainer. He would return to the tournament a new man."

"New man nothing!" You turned Jann Lee into a monster!" Hayate screamed. "Scum like you deserve to dry up and die!"

"Oh, big words from such a weak ninja. I helped Jann Lee become better than he was, mind you, and realize his true potential. Like him, I acquire many fighters and do the same to them. I could see so many big things for Jann Lee. I have high hopes for the kid. In little to no time at all Jann Lee will squash your friend Lei Fang like a bug. And I will be looking forward to witnessing that myself."

Kasumi tried to grab the sword from her hilt, but Ryu retrained her hand from pulling it out. "Why would Jann Lee accept help from you? It's not like him," she replied.

"Convincing works, child. You just don't know. Well, with a little convincing Jann saw the light and accepted me with open arms. I gave him a gift, the gift of Kagai and he proudly accepted it. With the Kagai, Jann Lee will have no fear. He won't fear killing anybody, and in order for him to succeed in life, he must first kill his rivals, including Lei Fang in the process."

"Man, that's whack!" Zack said. "Old man, you got problems."

"I agree with the American," Ryu stated. "You are not giving Jann Lee a gift. Judging by your standards I can tell you speak with a serpent's tongue. Jann Lee is a slave to the Kagai no matter what you say, and that is in no way what I consider to be a present of acceptance. You, Shen, are truly pathetic."

"Ha! Say what you will, but in the end I know I am right. Without strength you cannot survive in this world and that's what I expect Jann Lee to have. He will do well in this last fight and when he does, he'll come after you four next! Now, if you'll excuse me I have a match to watch," Shen said, bringing his attention back toward the battle.

Kasumi gripped onto her brother Hayate's clothes. Her friend was now in trouble and she hadn't the slightest clue what to do.

"Hayate, we have to do something."

"I'm already on it. We'll help Lei Fang in anyway we can, but what about Jann Lee?"

The fighting continued with Lei Fang recovering from the ground and taking rapid swipes at the transformed Jann Lee's body with her fists. Each of her punches felt it as if they were hitting solid steel instead of flesh. She was then beamed to the floor by Jann Lee's forearm before she could get another punch in. As she fell, she saw an object coming down toward her in the form of a fist. Quickly she rolled out of the way and witnessed Jann Lee creating a massive crater in the ground right where her body used to be. Sitting up, she backed away and tried to get an idea on how to handle the situation.

"Come on, Lei," she commanded herself, "think! There's got to be some way to beat this."

Shen's voice then called out to her. "Having trouble, Lei Fang?"

"You. What's going on with Jann Lee?"

"It's the Kagai, like he said, my dear."

"There's got to be a way to stop him and revert him back to normal."

"No, I'm afraid there isn't, too bad for you. Jann Lee will never return to his original form unless done so by his own will. But then again…there is one way."

"What Shen? Tell me!"

"In order for Jann Lee to return back into normal and have the Kagai removed from his body…. death is the only answer!"

"What?"

"Face it, dear, you have two choices. You either kill or be killed!"

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**My response to reviews **

**x-Red Eye-x**: that was really creepy. The change of body type thing was a definite twist, and just when I thought I was getting everything, you go and change things up like that:P

Although the anorexic thing may have been a little overboard, it really set an image in my mind and made it that much more realistic. Can't wait to see what happens in the next chapter.

**Thunder's reply:** Yes, I do my weirdness well, don't I?wink Thanks anyway. I'm glad your still looking for more action, and I hope I'm delivering.

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**Scrooge:** The match isn't over yet, JungKing. In fact it looks like it's just beginning. Way to go thunder. :-D 

**Thunder's reply**: Thanks. I'm loving the way this is turning out. Don't you?

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**Licking Pennies:** Wow. Now I wanna write a DOA fanfic. And now i'm goin' to. Thanks! Three days of not being able to keep my eyes away from this, craving for the nearest computer in my spare time, just to read this. I'm even in study hall right now, submitting this review. Don't leave me hanging in the end. And help me too, if you can. Well, thanks for the awesome read!

Licking Pennies (Da Fuzz '05) 

**Thunder's reply**: Wow! I actually got someone inspired, cool. You really like my story that much? Whoa, didnt know my story was that interesting! Well thank you. I'm very proud of that. I'd like to help you in anyway I can when you decide to write a story, just send me in an email and we'll work something out. Thanks!

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**New animator:** great story so sweet! i mean lie fang was my first fav chracter as well but then it changed to hitomi so... oh well cool fic keep it up! 

**Thunder's reply**: Thanks. I will.

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**JunKing**: Cool chapter! I'm so happy that Lei-Fang won:) Besides Lei-Fang, I also like Helena very much, it's cool how in Tag Matches, the two of them can be joined together as a special team. Well, I'm off to write some more of my stories, since you've inspired me so much. I'll read more soon, don't forget to update:) 

**Thunder's reply**: Hey, thanks. I'm liking your story too. Read on when you got the time. Later


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's notes : Hello! Another day, another chapter. With one more to go! **

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Lei Fang was caught in a difficult spot, her choice being to either kill Jann Lee to free him from the evil that had taken over his mind, or die at his hands, according to the haunting words of Shen that constantly whirled around inside her head. It was tough on Lei Fang the moment it had dawned upon her, unable to think of way to escape the predicament. As Jann Lee launched his fist toward his intended target, Lei Fang made a quick jump to evade the attack as she tried to conjure up a plan, a plan that would both help her and Jann Lee. However, nothing came to mind, and she was stuck, forced to continue to fight the beastly fighter as threw his weight into her. 

Off the battlegrounds Kasumi stood, fixed in concentration as she watched Lei Fang strike mercilessly at Jann Lee's abdomen, only applying soreness to her already reddened knuckles. "I'm going in," she declared.

"Not without us your not!" Hayate commanded, holding her arm in objection.

"There's no need to be rational," said Ryu. "I already have a solution to the problem. But it is risky."

"What is it?" asked Zack.

Ryu reached for an object clinging to his back, yanking it off and revealing it to everyone. It was a liquid of some kind sitting in a fancy glass bottle. "This is a special elixir. If Jann Lee is to be restored back to normal and have the Kagai removed from his body, he has to drink this."

"You make it sound so easy," Zack groaned in annoyance. "Jann isn't going to just drink it!"

"I know that, Ryu added. "That is why we must work together to get him to."

Hayate nodded in agreement, as he watched his sister's blank expression. "Is something wrong, Kasumi?"

"No. I'm fine, let's go!"

All four fighters rushed close to the ring in hopes of interfering in the battle brewed right in front of them, but a cautious Shen stepped forward to block their path. "Going somewhere?" he said behind clinched teeth. "Don't think for one second your coming into that ring to interrupt what's going on. If any of you dare to trespass, you will suffer the consequences!"

"Then I guess we're going to have to take that chance," Ryu said, as he made a quick jolt past Shen with the others following him.

"Stupid fools!" Shen said, generating a gust of wind and hurling it at Ryu.

Ryu quickly tossed the elixir to his friend Hayate before his back hit the ground as he fell. In mid air, Hayate caught the bottle in-between his arms and continued to run toward the ring. Shen generated a heavier gust of wind and shot it at the running ninja before he could reach his destination. Hayate tried to fight the harsh air blowing against him and reach the ring, but it was much too strong, forcing him to toss the elixir to the person nearest to him, Zack. The moment Zack had the bottle in his hands and witnessed Shen glaring at him sinisterly, he immediately ran forward, but ended up tripping on his untied shoe laces into a patch of dirt. The bottle rolled to Kasumi's ankles and she quickly scooped it up, nearly succeeding in making it into the ring as she sprinted her legs as far as they could go. Shen charged up his largest gust yet and sent it toward Kasumi, knocking her off balance and dropping the bottle of elixir on the ring floor. The bottle rolled slowly into the battle and bumped into the heel of Lei Fang's shoe. Looking at the bottle suspiciously, she picked it up and examined it.

"What the heck is this?" she said to herself.

"Lei Fang!" Kasumi shouted from the ground.

Lei Fang spun around to see her friend lying in the dirt with her head raised slightly.

"Lei Fang! That is elixir! It will change Jann Lee back to normal and rid him of the Kagai that controls him. You have to somehow get him to drink it!"

"Change back to normal?" Lei Fang screamed in shock. "But Shen said the only way to cure Jann Lee is to kill him."

"He's lying! Don't believe him!"

"Wretched girl! You're ruining the entertainment!" Shen barked at the fallen ninja.

Lei Fang clinched the bottle between her fingers, aware of what she must do, and dashed toward Jann Lee as he charged with his fist pointed forward. She quickly ducked before the knuckles touched her face and rolled past him to the other side of the ring. Jann Lee retraced his steps and generated a ball of fire in the palm of his hand.

"Die!" he shouted, as he threw the burning sphere at his oppenant.

Lei Fang bent over backward flexibly and touched the floor to avoid taking a hit. Jann Lee's fireball missed, crashing and burning into ashes into a pile of the debris that lied in the background. With a surge of anger, he struck his fist into the ground, sending another shockwave toward Lei Fang's direction. Quickly, she dove out of the way and rolled across the dirt, catching ants and other small insects into the long brown strains of her hair, still keeping the elixir locked tightly between her hands. After she had risen, Jann Lee sped toward her and struck her with a hard blow from his forearm. The bottle containing the elixir flew out of Lei Fang's grasp as she fell back, rolling across the dirt into a small ditch.

Jann Lee carried the biggest smile he had conceived, feeling his victory over his opponent drawing close. With great strength, he entangled his fingers around Lei Fang's throat, nearly squeezing the life out her as she gagged and gurgled uncontrollably.

"Your demise has come, Lei Fang. You have fought a great battle, but now, it is time for the final closing."

The power surging fighter balled the fist of his free hand, ready to deliver the final blow. Before his hand reached her, Lei Fang kicked up and shot the heel of her shoe into his devilish eyes. Jann Lee screamed in agony and immediately dropped hold of his opponent, with her darting for the elixir lying in the ditch behind him. As she grabbed the bottle, she thought there was only one thing she could do.

"I know he's going to be mad at me for this, but it's the only way," she said, pacing up to Jann.

Jann Lee's rubbed the sting felt from Lei Fang's heel out from his eyes and looked down to notice his opponent smiling at him. With a hard thrusting blow, Lei Fang kicked Jann Lee in the center of his groin and brought him down to his knees.

"I know that was wrong, but it had to be done," Lei Fang said. "Now open wide, Jann Lee!"

Seeing Jann Lee's mouth hung open as he screamed like a wounded animal, Lei Fang popped the cork off the bottle and poured the contains down his throat. Jann Lee twisted his body from side to side, jerking and jumping, his chest burning with unrelenting pain after swallowing the elixir. He immediately smacked Lei Fang away as the bottle of elixer emptied. Jumping up from the ground, he swung his arms violently at the air, his body size slowly decreasing as he did. His skin had reverted to its normal color, and the fiery evil that burned within his eyes slowly disappeared. He had changed back, back into his normal form, free from the Kagai's enslaving power. Being a little exhausted from the reverting transformation, he fell to the ground and laid there, gasping, trying to catch his breath. Lei Fang stood up on her heels and smiled with approving success. She staggered to Jann Lee's side, helping him up from the dirt.

"Jann. Jann Lee, wake up!" she commanded.

Jann Lee's eyelids suddenly opened up and a low grunt quietly escaped his lips with only one thing to say. "Where….is Shen?"

"Jann Lee, are you back to normal?"

"Where is Shen!" he repeated in a loud uproar.

"Over there," Lei Fang, said, pointing out the old man's location.

Shen's wrinkled face cringed in anger as he witnessed his young student had been set free from the Kagai's power, no longer under its control. His plans were ruined, crushed right in front of him.

"No. This cannot be. I had everything right! Take the gift back, Jann Lee! Take it back!"

"Shen…you and me have some business to settle," Jann whispered, walking toward the angered man.

"No, Jann Lee. I am the one that trained you, your master. I am your master, not your enemy."

"Not my enemy? You lie," Jann Lee scoffed. "I could see everything that was going on while I was under that spirit's control, but I could not stop myself."

"You speak as though you didn't want my gift. You should accept it, for it turned you into the greatest thing you will ever become. It made you, Jann Lee!"

"I didn't accept your gift, Shen. You forced it on me."

Lei Fang moved in closer to hear the conversation, patting the dirt and bugs from her hair. "What's going on? What didn't you accept?"

"This man claims that I asked to be possessed by the Kagai myself. I did not. He forced it on me. After my loss to you at the last tournament, Shen came to me with an offer, an offer for a power beyond my wildest dreams, so he claimed. He told me I could be the strongest fighter in the world if I accepted his gift. But I turned him down and set to work on my own way to heighten my skills. As I walked home, he followed me and smashed me over the head with something hard and made of iron. The last thing I heard before I blanked out was the sound of him chanting in these strange words that I had never heard before."

"Just as I thought," Ryu blurted out.

"So the whole time it wasn't Jann Lee all along like we had thought?" Kasumi asked.

"No. This was all Shen's doing."

"Your damn right!" the old man laughed. "Jann Lee had so much potential. It seemed rather foolish for him to decline such a precious gift. I figured I would give it to him anyway and he would soon start to see things my way. Young fighters like Jann Lee need someone like me in their corner, it's the only way they'll ever develop."

After hearing everything, Lei Fang placed her hand on top of Jann Lee's wrist. "Hey," she said, softly. "I know we've been through a lot, but what do you say Jann…let's me and you team up and fight this menace together? Come on. This is our battle and it involves the both of us.

Jann Lee stepped forward, ignoring Lei Fang's words. Anger boiled in his mind like a steaming teakettle. The Kagai had controlled him, Shen had controlled him, and many labeled him a bully and psycho for his outrageous actions.

Taking his past reaction as an agreement to her question, Lei Fang broke into her fighting stance with Jann Lee breaking into his.

"You two dare challenge me?" Shen chuckled. "Jann Lee, I offered you everything and look at you now. You have become weak. If its power you desire, take the Kagai back. It will still accept you."

"No!" Jann Lee barked. "After what you've done to me, Shen, I aim to make you suffer!"


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's notes: Greetings guys. This will be the final chapter of the story. Thankyou Redeye, Scrooge, and the rest of you for your reviews and comments. Enjoy! **

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With a quick flex of his bulky figure, Jann Lee gathered all his strength, preparing to attack. Lei Fang, on the other hand, moved her arms around freely, controlling her breathing and stretching her legs across the cracked ring floor, as she stood close beside Jann Lee. 

Shen became outnumbered, surrounded by a group of seven people, but Kasumi, Hayate, Zack, and Ryu promised not to get involved, letting Lei Fang and Jann Lee handle him alone, figuring they should have the honor of taking Shen on. They would only intervene if needed.

"I can't believe your willing to go through with this," Shen said to his former pupil. " Do you think you beat me? Not a chance!"

Jann Lee sped forward and kicked the old man right off his feet, putting him on his back in the dirt. Shen then staggered to get up, sporting his usual smile.

"Nice. You give me no choice, Jann Lee. Since you will not take my gift back, then I guess it is time for you to die, you too, little girl!"

Shen crossed his arms, putting them in front of his wooly face. A dark aurora surrounded his body, an aurora similar to the one that surrounded Jann Lee when was possessed by the Kagai. The wrinkled flesh on his body began to peel off, revealing hidden scales underneath with his muscle size increasing slightly.

"What the?" Lei Fang said in a low gasp.

Before them, Shen stood in his real form, that of a demon. "Now you meet your doom!" he screeched. "Never was I a human, and I am grateful for that. Your kind is way too inferior for my tastes. That is why you must be destroyed. I could have spared you, Jann Lee. You were like a son to me, but it seems now all you care about is being pathetic and weak."

Shen generated a ball of fire in his hands and lunged toward Jann Lee's head. The young dragon quickly side stepped from the scorching ball of flames and skipped his feet forward. Lei Fang performed a series of cartwheels as she begun an attack of her own, but Shen grabbed a hold of her leg just before the bottom of her sharp heels could touch the scales on his face.

"Seriously, you've got to try harder than that," he laughed.

Jann Lee suddenly appeared from the sky, roughly bashing his fist against Shen's forehead, forcing him to let go of Lei Fang's leg. As she recovered from the ground, Lei Fang sweep kicked Shen's bended knees, dropping him on his back.

Shen rolled up from the ground and hurled a dozen fireballs from his throat at his two targets. A thick layer of smoke built up in front of him and as he looked around, he saw no signs of Lei Fang or Jann Lee, that is, until he heard a noise come from behind. Rapidly, Lei Fang and Jann Lee pounded Shen's backside with a barrage of punches, frequently taking turns on each strike. Shen could feel his body numbing, as he seemed to be losing the battle. Not wanting that to happen, he spun around to try and nail one of the fighters with a harsh blow to the face. He missed as Lei Fang ducked his swinging punch and kicked him into the air using her right leg. Zipping through with a quick jump kick, Jann Lee nailed his foot into Shen's stomach just before he crashed into the ground.

The vile creature stuttered, oozing blood from his nostrils and mouth. Both Lei Fang and Jann Lee as a team were too much for him. He could not understand how two humans could possibly inflict so much damage upon him.

With glaring eyes, Jann Lee stood over Shen's body, ready to deal a crippling blow, but realized doing so wasn't his job.

Ryu soon came vaulting toward Shen's laying body, figuring he'd do the honors instead, and with one quick raise of his sword, he stabbed the demonic creature straight in the heart, leaving him with a few parting words.

"Rest in peace, monster."

Shen gasped as he reached up to try and grab the hilt of Ryu's sword to pull out from his bleeding chest, but it was no use. Slowly, his body began to dissolve into a pile of burning ashes. And that was the end. The tournament was over, and even without a victor it did not matter, not to Lei Fang and neither to Jann Lee. With Shen gone, Kasumi ran up to Lei Fang pulling her into a tight hug, grateful that the battle was over.

"Thank goodness, your ok."

"Yeah, but that was weird. I need to lie down. All this stuff with demons and possessions has made me tired," Lei Fang yawned, jokingly.

The battle had lasted so long it was dark outside, past midnight with morning approaching on the horizon. Lei Fang could now sleep soundly and the other fighters could return home back to their daily schedules.

Jann Lee sat on the rocks of the beach, watching the sun slowly rise into the sky. It was a beautiful sight, much more beautiful than anything he could imagine. With the Kagai no longer controlling him, Jann Lee could return to his normal life, but something seemed to be missing. Quietly from behind, Lei Fang approached him with arms folded in the rear of her back.

"Hey there," she said, sitting in the sand next to him.

Jann Lee did not react as he noticed her presence.

"Look, I'm really sorry," she apologized.

"For what?" Jann Lee asked in wonder.

"I'm sorry that I misjudged you. I and everybody else thought that you had turned into some kind of maniac after last year's tournament. Shen fooled us all into believing that you actually had changed."

Jann Lee carried his stone-faced expression as he turned to look his rival in the eye. "You're forgiven. Now leave me be," he quietly commanded, returning his gaze back at the rising sun.

Lei Fang stood on her heels, beginning to walk away and leave as her rival requested, but before she took even one small step, a deep voice caught her full attention.

"Hey."

"Yes?" Lei Fang said, turning around to see Jann Lee.

"Are you going to be in the tournament next year?"

"Um…sure. Why?"

"I'm going to be there too, and this time, I'll be training my way, under my own influence. You better be ready for a beat down when that day comes."

"Oh I'll be there alright. You can count on that. You had better watch out, cause I will be a lot stronger and tougher than I am now. Well, see you around!"

Lei Fang left Jann Lee's presence a moment later after taking a quick look at the sunrise. As she walked away and faded into the distance, all she could do was smile, with Jann Lee doing the same. Both fighters looked forward to their next encounter in battle and though they were rivals, they truly respected each other in some way or other. What lied ahead of their journey was unknown, but they both knew that their paths would someday cross again.

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**Author's notes: Well people, that is the end of the chapter and story of Overcoming the Odds. Thank you all for reading and commenting on the story. Aside from my thank you, I would like to clear some things for the people that do not understand. I am sure many of you have seen the reviews I have gotten, labeling me as a Jann Lee hater. I just want to clarify again that I am not. So here is the full explanation of the story. **

**After Jann Lee's loss at the tournament, he was a little displeased about his first ever loss, especially with Lei Fang being the one who defeated him. In a day, he'd get over it, moving back to his training to ensure that he will do better in next year's tournament. However, Shen, a man looking to increase Jann Lee's abilities by taking him under his wing, approached him with an offer. Jann Lee of course refuses Shen's offer, wishing to do things his way, but what he doesn't know is that Shen doesn't take too kindly to people that refuse his offers. **

**If you have not noticed in the first chapter, I never mentioned what happened to Jann Lee after Shen confronted him. Did he or did he not accept Shen's offer? I never revealed it, leaving it up to the reader to guess what happened. What really happened was Shen purposely knocked Jann Lee out and summered up an evil spirit to take over his mind and body. Even while he was possessed, Jann Lee could see and hear what he was doing, he just could not stop himself. This is where we all see Jann Lee take a different attitude toward Lei Fang and everybody else. Some people were probably thinking Jann Lee is out of character; he would not act like this. The Kagai was what took over Jann Lee and made him into a bullying psychopath. **

** Shen's goal was to make Jann Lee one of the most powerful fighters in the world, as well as to have control over him for his own evil purposes. Shen believed the first test for Jann Lee would be for him to kill his rivals, including Lei Fang. So, none of Jann Lee's horridness actions was under his own influence but that of the Kagai's. At the near end of the story is the part where it all comes together, showing that Jann Lee is indeed not the bad guy after all. Out of anger of having his plans ruined, Shen then reveals he is not a human, but a demon wandering in the human world. Ryu then kills him after Jann Lee and Lei Fang defeat him in the final battle. Once all that is over, Lei Fang and the others start to feel guilty over thinking Jann Lee had actually turned to the path of evil, though a minor few did not believe it was true. Lei Fang apologizes and Jann Lee forgives in his own way. They later decide to have another fight at the next tournament, hoping to fight each other again.  
**

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**Well, I hope that sums it up for those who are confused. Anyway, now that I am done with this story, I have another story I have been sort of keeping under wraps. If you are interested in this new fic, add my name to your author alert list, or just be on the look out for when my name pops up. The next fic I'm writing will be better written than this one, I believe, and I hope you guys will enjoy it as soon as I send it through.**

**Until then, see ya!**


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